A new approach to Kounellis's work, focusing on the evolution of his painting practice over nearly seven decades.
Jannis Kounellis: Io sono un pittore is the catalogue published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at the Collezione Giancarlo e Danna Olgiati, Lugano. Bringing together more than thirty-five works spanning from the late 1950s to 2016, the exhibition offers a new reading of Jannis Kounellis (1936–2017), one of the leading figures of postwar European art. Taking as its point of departure the artist's lifelong declaration "I am a painter," the project explores painting as the key to understanding Kounellis's practice, beyond the traditional boundaries of the medium.
Richly illustrated, the volume traces the artist's engagement with language, materiality, memory, and theatricality through works drawn from major public and private collections. From his early use of signs and symbols to his powerful installations incorporating coal, iron, wool, and found objects, the publication reveals how Kounellis transformed painting into a total language capable of addressing history, presence, and human experience.
Essays by curator Vincenzo de Bellis and art historian Bruno Corà offer new perspectives on the work of one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.
Greek-Italian contemporary artist based in Rome, Jannis Kounellis (1936-2017) was one leading figure of Arte Povera.
