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Jannis Kounellis

JANNIS KOUNELLIS

Boîtes. 1989 – 2015. Galerie Lelong 26 May–13 July 2018 13 Rue de Téhéran, Paris
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Press Release

Jannis Kounellis (1936-2017), who died suddenly a year ago, was one of the major protagonists of Arte Povera, a movement of radical artists that emerged in Italy in the 1960s. His work is exhibited in many major museums in Europe, Asia and America and is a reference for a new generation of artists. In recent years, Kounellis had exhibited many times in Europe - at La Monnaie de Paris in 2016 - but also in Russia, Mexico and China where each time he created spectacular works in situ.

After having presented a number of exhibitions of the artist’s work since 1989, Galerie Lelong & Co. has decided to look back over Kounellis career through a series of very unusual editions that he designed from the end of the 1980s: the ‘boxes.’ These multiples, which were almost always produced in 25 copies, take the form of a metal box with a window, most often containing a print and one or more objects from daily life, assembled with energy and sometimes with mischief or irony. The physical reality of the materials is important: the object is there for what it is, and not for what is seems to be. Newspapers, coats, an axe, billiard balls, an iron - they differ from one edition to another, are showcased in a limited space and within this smaller scale they reconstitute the pictorial dramaturgy that was the artist’s signature.

All the boxes on display have been produced in the Bulla studio in Rome and are signed and numbered on the underside by the artist.

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About the Artist

Jannis Kounellis was born in 1936 in Piraeus, Greece and died on 16 February 2017 in Roma.

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About the Gallery
Galerie Lelong is located in Paris and New York. It was founded by Jacques Dupin, Daniel Lelong and Jean Frémon.

The Paris gallery has been exhibiting recent works from artists of international standing since 1981. The 1980s were notable for artists who went on to become household names, including Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies, Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Eduardo Chillida, Paul Rebeyrolle, Pierre Alechinsky, but also for the next generation of artists: Konrad Klapheck, Jan Dibbets, Donald Judd, Robert Ryman, Richard Serra, Jannis Kounellis, Arnulf Rainer, Nicola De Maria and Jan Voss.

In the 1990s, the gallery hosted artists who represented major movements in contemporary art: Sean Scully, Günther Förg, Andy Goldsworthy, Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Antonio Saura. The gallery also increased international recognition of the work of Ana Mendieta.

Since the turn of the century, Galerie Lelong has accentuated the geographical and expressive diversity of its artists: from sculpture and objects by Jaume Plensa, David Nash, Wolfgang Laib, Kiki Smith, Rebecca Horn, Barry Flanagan to installations by Barthélémy Toguo and Lin Tianmiao, without forgetting painting, namely David Hockney, Robert Motherwell, Kate Shepherd, Nalini Malani, Nancy Spero, Juan Uslé, Leon Kossoff.

Galerie Lelong has a large publishing department which produces and distributes engravings, lithographs, digital prints and multiple objects, and collates these works in catalogues raisonnés.

It produces monumental sculptures to order for public spaces and private clients.

The gallery is present at the leading international contemporary art fairs (Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, Art Basel Hong Kong, Fiac Paris, Frieze London, Frieze New York, Arco Madrid, Art Brussels, Expo Chicago...).

The directors of the gallery are Jean Frémon, Daniel Lelong and Patrice Cotensin in Paris and Mary Sabbatino in New York.
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Address
13 rue de Téhéran
Paris
France
Opening Hours
Tues - Fri, 10.30am - 6pm
Sat, 2pm - 6.30pm
(1)
Paris 13 rue de Téhéran
Galerie Lelong contemporary art gallery in 13 Rue de Teheran Paris France
Galerie Lelong
13 rue de Téhéran, Paris, France
+33 145 631 319
http://www.galerie-lelong.com

Opening hours
Tues - Fri, 10.30am - 6pm
Sat, 2pm - 6.30pm
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