Archinto presents new and recent paintings and sculptures by Georg Baselitz. Installed on the piano nobile, the exhibition includes twelve paintings made expressly for the Sala del Portego, which hang on eighteenth-century stucco-framed panels where portraits of the Grimani family had been on display until the end of the nineteenth century.
In this show, Baselitz pays homage to Venice and its rich artistic tradition, establishing art historical continuity while also signaling a rupture between the Renaissance portrait tradition and its contemporary equivalents. The exhibition is curated by Mario Codognato and organized by Venetian Heritage and Direzione regionale Musei Veneto, in association with Gagosian.
"There have always been portraits throughout art history. But more important than the subject has always been the artist himself. . . "
Simultaneously with the rearrangement of the Doge’s Hall, the Museum of Palazzo Grimani will host an exhibition, curated by Mario Codognato, of new and recent works by the German artist Georg Baselitz. Born in 1938, he is one of the most significant artists of his generation. Entitled Archinto, the exhibition, produced by Gagosian in collaboration with Venetian Heritage, will be set up on the main floor of the museum and twelve canvases made specifically for the Sala del Portego will be placed in its original eighteenth-century stucco frames, where portraits stood out until the 19th century of the Grimani family. Thanks to a special agreement, these works will remain on long-term loan to the museum under the artist’s concession. It is the first time to date that a similar collaboration has taken place between a contemporary artist and a state museum in Venice.
In Archinto, Baselitz pays homage to Venice and its rich artistic tradition, on the one hand re-establishing historical continuity and on the other signaling a break between the celebrated Renaissance portraiture and its contemporary equivalents. The title of the exhibition and his works refer to the enigmatic portrait of Cardinal Filippo Archinto that Titian painted in 1558. Bringing the sensitivity of the Old Masters into a current context, the ghostly quality of Baselitz’s paintings confirms his interest in engraving techniques and alludes to the constant artistic theme of human mortality.