Italian contemporary art took centre stage at “Italy at Frieze”, an exhibition-event hosted at the Italian Embassy in London in the evening of Thursday, 3 October. For the first time ever, an embassy hosted an event that is part of the programme of the “Frieze” art fair which every year attracts to London collectors and art-lovers from all over the world. The exhibition, curated by Flavia Frigeri, explored the paths and languages experimented by Italian artists from the post-war period to the present, on the theme “Unique forms of continuity in space”. The works displayed by 14 Italian artists – from Michelangelo Pistoletto to Carla Accardi, Agostino Bonalumi, Francesco Vezzoli, and Attilio Quintili – were made available for the occasion by an equal number of Italian galleries participating in the Frieze London and Frieze Masters fairs this year. Thus, visitors were given the opportunity to admire the variety of styles and messages that Italian artists have expressed during the last few decades, translating into art the codes and the spirit of the time. The event hosted at the Italian Embassy was attended by Michelangelo Pistoletto and Attilio Quintili, constituting a high point in Italy’s cultural diplomacy in the United Kingdom. The event was also part of the celebrations of the “Contemporary Art Day” to promote Italian contemporary art, now at its 15th edition. For a few years now, thanks to the cooperation between the Association of Italian Contemporary Art Museums and the Foreign Ministry, the “Contemporary Art Day” is also celebrated abroad through the network of Embassies, Consulates and Italian Cultural Institutes.
Exhibiting artists and participating galleries
Carla Accardi – Tornabuoni Art
Gianfranco Baruchello – Massimo De Carlo
Irma Blank – P420
Agostino Bonalumi – Mazzoleni
Corrado Cagli – Brun Fine Art
Franca Coen Sonnino – Repetto Gallery
Bice Lazzari – Richard Saltoun Gallery
Bruno Munari – Andrew Kreps Gallery
Antonio Nocera – Callisto Fine Arts
Giulio Paolini – Cardi Gallery
Michelangelo Pistoletto – Galleria Continua
Attilio Quintili – Raccanello Leprince
Paolo Scheggi – Robilant+Voena
Francesco Vezzoli – Galleria Franco Noero