Sandretto’s Stars shine at Strozzi Palace in Florence
3 2 1…Liftoff! Reaching for the Stars. From Maurizio Cattelan to Lynette Yiadom Boakye is the new major exhibition now on show at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation. The group exhibition features over 70 artworks by leading Italian and international contemporary artists from the foundation’s collection, including, besides the title names, Cindy Sherman, Sarah Lucas, Damien Hirst, William Kentridge, Cerit Wyn Evans, Thomas Schutte and Wael Shawky to name a few.
Promoted and organised by the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Reaching for the Stars explores some of the most important shifts and developments in art over the past decades through a constellation of artworks on display throughout Palazzo Strozzi from the Piano Nobile to the Strozzina space. A special new installation, Gonogo by Polish artist Goshka Macuga, welcomes the visitors to the palazzo’s Renaissance courtyard where a monumental rocket stands on a blue structure resembling a launch pad. A question emerges from the installation: should we keep on exploring the universe or should we commit to more sustainable ways of life on earth?
Curated by Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi Director General Arturo Galansino, the exhibition captures Sandretto’s collection variety, history, and nature as a constant trailblazer in the art research and debate, reflecting the ongoing work of the Collection to nurture dialogue on contemporary art and bring about awareness on the current issues within our society.
The exhibition offers visitor an intergalactic journey of discovery among the stars of the collection assembled by Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo over thirty years of research, encounters, travels and irrepressible enthusiasm. A star is also the symbol of the Foundation, most appropriately epitomizing the galaxy of techniques, practices, experimentation and variety that define the prestigious collection. The visitor embarks on a thematic tour addressing various aspects and issues of the debate in contemporary art over the last few decades: contemporary history, cultural identities, materials and music are the main themes investigated through the multiplicity of works on display,.
The exhibition hosts such fundamental works as Anish Kapoor’s 1000 Names (1983) and Damien Hirst’s Love Is Great (1994), alongside an extensive selection of work by Maurizio Cattelan, an artist whose work is crucial to any exploration of Italian art between the 1990s and the 2000s, together with work by Paola Pivi and Lara Favaretto, among others. The exhibition unfolds in themed sections such as the section dominated by Cindy Sherman’s celebrated series known as Untitled Film Still (1978–80) triggering a social and political reflection on the theme of identity in connection with works by Shirin Neshat, Barbara Kruger’s silkscreen print Untitled (Not ugly enough) (1997) and Pawel Althamer ‘s sculpture in organic material entitled Self-Portrait (1993). The exploration of sculpture expands to include large works by Andra Ursuţa, Adrian Villar Rosa, Berlinde De Bruyckere and Mark Manders whose art investigates the body and the figure amid deconstruction and reassembly. This is echoed by an exploration of painting in the work of such artists as Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Sanya Kantarovsky, Michael Armitage, Cecily Brown, and Avery Singer, testifying to the medium’s ongoing vitality between the figurative and the abstract, particularly among the younger generation. The exhibition is completed by a large section on video art with signature work by such artists as William Kentridge with his History of Main Complaint (1996), Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno with his celebrated video-installation entitled Zidane. A 21st Century Portrait (2005).
Reaching for the Stars
From Maurizio Cattelan to Lynette Yiadom Boakye
Florence, Palazzo Strozzi
4 March – 18 June 2023
