Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac’s new space in London opens with an exhibition of Conceptual and Minimal Art from the Marzona Collection. Works by the major representatives of these movements – Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Lee Lozano, Sol LeWitt, Robert Ryman, Fred Sandback, Richard Serra and Richard Tuttle will take centre stage in the Library Gallery of Ely House.
At a time when Abstract Expressionism prevailed and was identified as an American-abstract art, artists with a different vision adopted a less painterly and subjective approach. These ‘Minimal’ artists attempted to remove expressive, narrative or symbolic interpretations for the viewer to concentrate on the qualities of form, colour, space and materials. To draw the viewer into a direct relationship with the artwork they created their own pictorial language, often based on the use of simple geometric forms and employed industrial materials.
Central to Minimal Art theory is the idea that art should not refer to anything other than itself. Materials and colours are the artwork’s reality and not a means to express. Artists called attention to the ways in which the artworks had an impact on the surrounding space and how in turn were affected by it.
Not only does the exhibition give an understanding of the radical approach of these ‘minimal’ artists, it is also an exhibition about the art of collecting. Each work in the exhibition is linked to the prominent and pioneering collector Egidio Marzona, revealing his audacious taste and the life-long commitment to these artists. Egidio Marzona, born in 1944 in Bielefeld, Germany, has built one of the most significant collections of Arte Povera, Conceptual, Minimal and Land Art of its kind.
Also on show is:
Gilbert & George: Drinking Pieces & Video Sculpture 1972-1973
Joseph Beuys: Sculpture and Early Drawings
Oliver Beer: New Performance and Sculpture
| Duration | 28 April 2017 - 29 July 2017 |
| Times | Monday to Saturday: 10am - 6pm |
| Cost | Free |
| Venue | Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac |
| Address | Ely House, 37 Dover Street, London, W1S 4NJ |
| Contact | 4402038138400 / polly.gaer@ropac.net / www.ropac.net |