Mimmo Rotella

The art of Mimmo Rotella seems to be marked by a constant play of chance and intuition–”the mythical mental radar” to which the artist often alludes in his writings–and can be characterized by his attraction to the unusual, the unexplored and the unforeseen. Germano Celant traces Rotella’s work, in all of its diversified phases and periods from 1946 to the present, including the initial geometrical and pre-decollages works, the decollages and the verso of torn street posters, the artypo and emulsified canvases, the blanks, and the overpaintings. Rotella has been the subject of numerous retrospectives throughout Europe and the United States, including Grand Central Station, New York in 1994; Cuartel del Conde Duque, Madrid also in 1994; Galerie Ernst Hilger, Wien in 1999; and Palazzo della Triennale, Milan in 2004. In 1964, Rotella represented Italy in the Venice Biennale.

Germano Celant is an art historian and Senior Curator for contemporary art at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of New York. He is contributing editor to ArtForum and Interview. He is internationally acclaimed for his work on “Arte Povera.” His recent publications include Architecture & Arts 1900/2004 (Skira 2005) and Manzoni Catalogo delle Opere (Skira 2004).