Ugo Nespolo's Radical Side Revealed in Palazzo Reale Retrospective

A major retrospective at Palazzo Reale in Milan challenges the reductive view of Ugo Nespolo (born 1941 in Mosso, Biella) as merely a painter of 'pictorial inlays.' Curated without hierarchy, the exhibition juxtaposes works to highlight his broader, more radical practice. Early rooms feature pieces from his poverist period, including the installation 'Molotov' (1968), clamps from 'Triperuno' (1967), and the nail-written 'Power violence' (1968), which subvert everyday objects into ambiguous, threatening sculptures. The show also includes sections on artist films, artist books, and theatrical set designs, alongside playful sequences of colored numbers and fountain-like sculptures. His signature inlays are present, notably the meta-artistic 'Andy Dandy' (1973). Nespolo's career spans Arte Povera, Fluxus, Patafisica, and Situationism, reflecting a refusal to align with any single movement. His work blurs high and low culture, embracing commercial commissions and a maximalist, kitsch-inflected aesthetic. Irony is central, as he writes in his 2019 collection 'Maledette belle arti' (Skira, Milan): 'The category of irony has a strong philosophical and aesthetic value... The end justifies the means.' He also stresses the artist's connection to the world, rejecting the separation of aesthetics from socio-historical context. The exhibition was reviewed by Stefano Castelli.