Mazzoleni is pleased to return to Art Basel Hong Kong with a project that will stage a selection of masterpieces from the 1950s and 1960s as well as key works from the twentieth century from both Italy and Europe more broadly. The ensemble will focus on how post-war Italian artists aimed to experiment with representations of reality, form and material, pairing traditional mediums with radical and innovative technical elements.
With their investigation of time, space, and structural rhythm, all of the artists presented – from Giacomo Balla and his futurist experimentation to Lucio Fontana with his cuts (tagli) and holes (buchi) - revolutionised the concept of painting for entire generations.
The masterpieces of de Chirico, Chagall, Mathieu and Vasarely complete the presentation, stemming from the innovations introduced by the European twentieth century movements, between abstraction and Op Art.
As part of the curated exhibition, within the Kabinett program, Mazzoleni presents Hans Hartung, the master of Art Informel.
The paintings and drawings which feature in this part of the installation, exemplify the research he conducted between the mid-1950s and the mid-1960s. Hartung himself spoke of the way he felt guided by a composition as it changed and developed, as if the painting itself was leading the process: 'The work, as it goes along, forces my hand more and more and limits my choice... one must let an idea ripen, push it to the maximum, concentrate on the essential...'. Underneath this apparent gestural freedom lay strong foundations, where in his hidden rational framework, worked to gather distinct elements into aesthetically balanced compositions.
While early works, such as T55-6 from 1955, with their use of electrifying bursts of scratches and scrapes darting across colourful backdrops, may suggest a sense of unpredictable spontaneity, Hartung made no secret of the fact that he used to create preparatory pastel sketches for each painting, carefully planning each composition as a lucid, developing process. The fruits of the research undertaken by Hartung in the 1960s, are also on display. During these years, the artist used fast drying acrylic and vinyl paints, scratching the canvas and airbrushing the surface to create an ethereal and vapor like atmosphere, as shown in T1963-E10.
The presentation in Kabinett strives to complete the booth with an overview of Hartung's career, allowing us to track the evolution of his visual language. As Hartung stated, 'experience reduced to vision alone does not let us know the object or even the world. I do not exclude the fact of seeing, on the contrary; but sight is not our only way of getting to know each other' (Hans Hartung, Self-portrait, 1976).
Private View (by invitation only)
Tuesday, March 21, 12 noon to 8pm
Wednesday, March 22, 12 noon to 5pm
Thursday, March 23, 12 noon to 2pm
Friday, March 24, 12 noon to 2pm
Saturday, March 25, 11am to 12 noon
Vernissage
Wednesday, March 22, 5pm to 9pm
Show Hours
Thursday, March 23, 2pm to 8pm
Friday, March 24, 2pm to 8pm
Saturday, March 25, 12 noon to 6pm