'Assonanze/Dissonanze' Exhibits at the Italian Cultural Institute

Museums are majestic and ample locations which sometimes need more than one day to be seen in their totalities. From now until May 10th, the public will have the opportunity to admire sculptures and paintings from different eras all in one place, as if they were traveling through centuries of art history.

Riccardo Viale, Gian Enzo Sperone and Natalia Quintavalle

Michele Pistoletto 'Uomo che si tocca il piede'

One of the artworks of the exhibition

The Italian Cultural Institute, together with New York based gallery owner Gian Enzo Sperone, organized an exhibition called 'Assonance/Dissonance,' 'Assonanze/Dissonanze' in Italian, which puts the works of contemporary artists together with those of ancient ones. In fact, the whole exhibit focuses on the binomial old/new, showing how ancient art has influenced the modern period and how similarities can be found in centuries so far apart from each other. As one might see, these influences can be found in some themes, as well as in skills and techniques, although the contexts and environments are extremely different.

Two thousand years of history find their place at the Italian Institute, where one will be able to observe ancient Roman sculptures, dating from around 120 to 150 AD, as well as the newest paintings from modern and contemporary artists. Focusing especially on the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with masterpieces of Giordano, Bassano, Redi and Cardi, the exhibit will also display art works from the twentieth century including those of Pistoletto, Chia and Paladino, up to the new generation of artists that has emerged in the last decade, like Clemente and Viale.
The visitor is encouraged to think and reflect about the possible connections and influences between these different kinds of art, together with the differences that obviously occur. Many tendencies are underlined and they all perfectly match each other in a complex and diverse environment. Starting with the Mannerist period of Cardi, also known as 'Cigoli' because of the name of his hometown, and Bassano, the exhibit continues its travel through art history with the Baroque of Redi and the Naturalism of Giordano. Getting closer to our century, Transavangarde and Arte Povera (literally, 'poor art') are well represented by Paladino, Chia and Pistoletto with both their paintings and sculptures. The last decade of art is instead depicted by Clemente and his portraits and the sculptures of Viale.
The name of the exhibit is already a suggestion of what awaits: assonance and dissonance, similarity and difference, a bridge that connects old and contemporary art and invites one to reflect on the nature of inspirations.
The works all come from Sperone's private collection, while his new gallery 'Sperone WestWater' is located in Bowery. Gian Enzo Sperone, one of the most important gallery owners worldwide, was one of the first to promote American Pop Art and Minimal Art, then confirming himself as the most relevant supporter of 'Avanguardia' in the United States in the eighties. Still today, his gallery offers a lot of new and peculiar art works to see and admire, and part of them are now at the Italian Cultural Institute.