Giuseppe Uncini
01 Mar - 14 Apr 2007
GIUSEPPE UNCINI
Christian Stein, Milan: Thursday, March 1, 2007, 6 p.m.
Giò Marconi, Milan: Thursday, March 1, 2007, 7 p.m.
Galleria Fumagalli, Bergamo: Saturday, March 3, 2007, 6 p.m.
Giuseppe Uncini’s triple exhibition will open on Thursday, March 1 at Giò Marconi and at Christian Stein in Milan and on Saturday, March 3 at Galleria Fumagalli in Bergamo, five years after the important solo exhibitions of September 2002, held in both Milanese galleries. This exhibition presents a new anthology devoted to the artist.
Uncini’s complex and original research has always aimed at balance in construction and the choice of materials and metals such as concrete and iron. In 1958, he created his first Cementoarmato, an object-work built with cement, in which both space and signs were concrete objects; signs as presences, space as measure; he was no longer creating a ‘representational picture’ but an ‘object in its own right’. From 1962 to 1965, Uncini created his Ferrocementi, works in which the iron rod created a kind of spatial opposition between line and surface on the neuter aspect of the cement. Later, in 1965, Uncini made Strutturespazio, a group of geometrical objects made of steel or aluminium, thanks to which Uncini experienced the three-dimensionality that led him to his following research, Ombre, in which the artist builds both the object and its shadow. In 1968, Palma Bucarelli commissioned a work, Porta aperta con ombra, which was installed at Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome as a separation between two rooms. Later, Uncini created a series of works, Mattoni: walls, columns, arches and portals built with bricks along with their own cement shadows. Dimore appeared by the end of the ’70s: buildings, doors, windows, thresholds and their shadows; sculptures representing the act of inhabiting. The artist’s research continued in 1987 with the creation of Spazi di ferro, works in which iron meshes traced the possible space between two volumes. Uncini’s work continued with his Spazicemento in 1993 and, later, Tralicci, Muri di cemento and Architetture, through which he indicated his primary techniques of building.
Christian Stein will exhibit a big Architettura (2007) and a selection of works on paper from the ’60s to the present. Giò Marconi, will present four important works: Sedia con ombra and Finestra con ombra (1968) and two Dimore (1982), a group of mixed techniques on paper; studies concerning Ombre and Dimore. Galleria Fumagalli will exhibit Uncini’s most recent works: Spazicemento, Muri di cemento and Architetture along with some memorable works, such as Mattoni, Cementarmato and Dimore.
Galleries Fumagalli of Bergamo, Giò Marconi and Christian Stein represent Uncini’s work.
From 2008, Giuseppe Uncini will present three very important exhibitions: at Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum in Graz, at the Museum fur Neue Kunst in Karlsrhue and at the Mart in Rovereto.
Brief biography
Giuseppe Uncini was born in Fabriano in 1929. In 1953, he moved to Rome, invited by sculptor Mannucci, who received Uncini in his studio, giving him the chance of meeting Afro, Burri, Cagli, Capogrossi, Colla, De Kooning, Leoncillo, Marca Relli and Turcato. In 1957, he began his cycle of works entitled Terre, which were boards covered with oil, tempera, calc-tufa, sand, ash and earth. But the turning point in Uncini’s artistic development was in 1958, when he created his first Cementarmato, an object-work built with cement. Afterwards, there were several exhibitions joining the Giovane Scuola Romana (the New Roman School): Uncini, Festa, Lo Savio, Angeli and Schifano.
Uncini’s first important solo exhibition was presented at Galleria l’Attico in Rome in 1961. In 1962, together with Biggi, Carrino, Frascà, Nato, Pace and Santoro, Uncini founded the Gruppo Uno, which dissolved in 1967.
From 1962 to 1965, Uncini continued his research on his Ferrocementi, in which the cement that was spread created neuter surfaces while the iron rod created a kind of spatial opposition between line and surface on the cement.
In 1965, Uncini made a group of works, Strutturespazio, which he presented at the 1966 Venice Biennial. Those works were geometrical objects made of steel or aluminium, and their three-dimensionality was the precursor of the big installations that follow them: Ombre, in which the artist builds both the object and its shadow.
In 1968, Palma Bucarelli commissioned a work, Porta aperta con ombra, which was exhibited at Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome as a separation between two rooms. The relationship with Galleria Christian Stein in Turin (solo exhibitions in 1968, 1971 and 1975) and Studio Marconi in Milan (solo exhibitions in 1973, 1976, 1980 and 1995) mark an important period in the artist’s career.
Later, Uncini created a series of works, Mattoni, whose solid architectonic shapes interacted with their own shadows, which were also concrete objects. The ’80s were represented by Dimore, surfaces that created an architectonic landscape: buildings, doors, windows and thresholds; all of them with their shadows. In 1984, Uncini presented a solo room at the Venice Biennial. In 1990, he participated in the exhibition entitled L’altra scultura in Madrid, Barcelona and Darmstadt. Uncini’s relationship with Galleria Fumagalli, in Bergamo, began in 1994 with the works entitled Spazicemento. Uncini’s work continued with the series entitled Tralicci and Muri di cemento, which recalled the memorable series of Cementarmati through essentiality and severity.
In 1999, Uncini exhibited his works in Minimalia at the PS1 of New York. In 2001, an important retrospective on Uncini’s work was presented at the Stadtische Kunsthalle of Mannheim. Still in 2001, he participated in the exhibition entitled La scultura italiana del XX secolo, which, on the occasion of L’anno dell’Italia in Giappone 2001 (the year of Italy in Japan 2001), was presented in five Japanese museums: Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama; Kagoshima City Museum of Art, Kagoshima; The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sapporo, and Shimane Art Museum, Shimane. In September 2002, two important solo exhibitions were presented, one of them, at Galleria Christian Stein and the other, at Galleria Giò Marconi in Milan, while between 2002 and 2003, Galleria Fumagalli, in Bergamo, exhibited a series of jewels made with diamonds, gold and silver, cast in Persian wax; the jewels were presented together with some historical pieces.
In May 2003, Giuseppe Uncini participated in the exhibition entitled Nella Materia. Dal Futurismo a Kiefer alfabeti nell’arte del Novecento. Da Burri A Kounellis metalli e ossidazioni at La Permanente in Milan.
In November 2004, Uncini took part in Autobiografia di una Galleria. Lo Studio Marconi 1963/1992, presented in the rooms of Fondazione Marconi in Milan as well as in the exhibition AAVV: 30, held in the renewed space of Galleria Fumagalli in Bergamo. In 2005, the artist participated in the most important Italian group exhibitions: Un secolo di arte italiana, curated by Volker Feierabend, at the MART in Rovereto, La scultura italiana del XX secolo at Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro in Milan and Burri, gli artisti e la materia 1945-2004 at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome. In 2006, Uncini participated in very important exhibitions: the 12th Biennial of Sculpture in Carrara and the 12th Biennial of Contemporary Sacred Art at the Staurós Museum of Contemporary Sacred Art, Sanctuary of St. Gabriel.
Giuseppe Uncini lives and works in Rome and in Trevi (PG).
© Giuseppe Uncini
Epistilium, 2004
Cement and iron
cm. 370x1040x70
Christian Stein, Milan: Thursday, March 1, 2007, 6 p.m.
Giò Marconi, Milan: Thursday, March 1, 2007, 7 p.m.
Galleria Fumagalli, Bergamo: Saturday, March 3, 2007, 6 p.m.
Giuseppe Uncini’s triple exhibition will open on Thursday, March 1 at Giò Marconi and at Christian Stein in Milan and on Saturday, March 3 at Galleria Fumagalli in Bergamo, five years after the important solo exhibitions of September 2002, held in both Milanese galleries. This exhibition presents a new anthology devoted to the artist.
Uncini’s complex and original research has always aimed at balance in construction and the choice of materials and metals such as concrete and iron. In 1958, he created his first Cementoarmato, an object-work built with cement, in which both space and signs were concrete objects; signs as presences, space as measure; he was no longer creating a ‘representational picture’ but an ‘object in its own right’. From 1962 to 1965, Uncini created his Ferrocementi, works in which the iron rod created a kind of spatial opposition between line and surface on the neuter aspect of the cement. Later, in 1965, Uncini made Strutturespazio, a group of geometrical objects made of steel or aluminium, thanks to which Uncini experienced the three-dimensionality that led him to his following research, Ombre, in which the artist builds both the object and its shadow. In 1968, Palma Bucarelli commissioned a work, Porta aperta con ombra, which was installed at Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome as a separation between two rooms. Later, Uncini created a series of works, Mattoni: walls, columns, arches and portals built with bricks along with their own cement shadows. Dimore appeared by the end of the ’70s: buildings, doors, windows, thresholds and their shadows; sculptures representing the act of inhabiting. The artist’s research continued in 1987 with the creation of Spazi di ferro, works in which iron meshes traced the possible space between two volumes. Uncini’s work continued with his Spazicemento in 1993 and, later, Tralicci, Muri di cemento and Architetture, through which he indicated his primary techniques of building.
Christian Stein will exhibit a big Architettura (2007) and a selection of works on paper from the ’60s to the present. Giò Marconi, will present four important works: Sedia con ombra and Finestra con ombra (1968) and two Dimore (1982), a group of mixed techniques on paper; studies concerning Ombre and Dimore. Galleria Fumagalli will exhibit Uncini’s most recent works: Spazicemento, Muri di cemento and Architetture along with some memorable works, such as Mattoni, Cementarmato and Dimore.
Galleries Fumagalli of Bergamo, Giò Marconi and Christian Stein represent Uncini’s work.
From 2008, Giuseppe Uncini will present three very important exhibitions: at Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum in Graz, at the Museum fur Neue Kunst in Karlsrhue and at the Mart in Rovereto.
Brief biography
Giuseppe Uncini was born in Fabriano in 1929. In 1953, he moved to Rome, invited by sculptor Mannucci, who received Uncini in his studio, giving him the chance of meeting Afro, Burri, Cagli, Capogrossi, Colla, De Kooning, Leoncillo, Marca Relli and Turcato. In 1957, he began his cycle of works entitled Terre, which were boards covered with oil, tempera, calc-tufa, sand, ash and earth. But the turning point in Uncini’s artistic development was in 1958, when he created his first Cementarmato, an object-work built with cement. Afterwards, there were several exhibitions joining the Giovane Scuola Romana (the New Roman School): Uncini, Festa, Lo Savio, Angeli and Schifano.
Uncini’s first important solo exhibition was presented at Galleria l’Attico in Rome in 1961. In 1962, together with Biggi, Carrino, Frascà, Nato, Pace and Santoro, Uncini founded the Gruppo Uno, which dissolved in 1967.
From 1962 to 1965, Uncini continued his research on his Ferrocementi, in which the cement that was spread created neuter surfaces while the iron rod created a kind of spatial opposition between line and surface on the cement.
In 1965, Uncini made a group of works, Strutturespazio, which he presented at the 1966 Venice Biennial. Those works were geometrical objects made of steel or aluminium, and their three-dimensionality was the precursor of the big installations that follow them: Ombre, in which the artist builds both the object and its shadow.
In 1968, Palma Bucarelli commissioned a work, Porta aperta con ombra, which was exhibited at Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome as a separation between two rooms. The relationship with Galleria Christian Stein in Turin (solo exhibitions in 1968, 1971 and 1975) and Studio Marconi in Milan (solo exhibitions in 1973, 1976, 1980 and 1995) mark an important period in the artist’s career.
Later, Uncini created a series of works, Mattoni, whose solid architectonic shapes interacted with their own shadows, which were also concrete objects. The ’80s were represented by Dimore, surfaces that created an architectonic landscape: buildings, doors, windows and thresholds; all of them with their shadows. In 1984, Uncini presented a solo room at the Venice Biennial. In 1990, he participated in the exhibition entitled L’altra scultura in Madrid, Barcelona and Darmstadt. Uncini’s relationship with Galleria Fumagalli, in Bergamo, began in 1994 with the works entitled Spazicemento. Uncini’s work continued with the series entitled Tralicci and Muri di cemento, which recalled the memorable series of Cementarmati through essentiality and severity.
In 1999, Uncini exhibited his works in Minimalia at the PS1 of New York. In 2001, an important retrospective on Uncini’s work was presented at the Stadtische Kunsthalle of Mannheim. Still in 2001, he participated in the exhibition entitled La scultura italiana del XX secolo, which, on the occasion of L’anno dell’Italia in Giappone 2001 (the year of Italy in Japan 2001), was presented in five Japanese museums: Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama; Kagoshima City Museum of Art, Kagoshima; The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sapporo, and Shimane Art Museum, Shimane. In September 2002, two important solo exhibitions were presented, one of them, at Galleria Christian Stein and the other, at Galleria Giò Marconi in Milan, while between 2002 and 2003, Galleria Fumagalli, in Bergamo, exhibited a series of jewels made with diamonds, gold and silver, cast in Persian wax; the jewels were presented together with some historical pieces.
In May 2003, Giuseppe Uncini participated in the exhibition entitled Nella Materia. Dal Futurismo a Kiefer alfabeti nell’arte del Novecento. Da Burri A Kounellis metalli e ossidazioni at La Permanente in Milan.
In November 2004, Uncini took part in Autobiografia di una Galleria. Lo Studio Marconi 1963/1992, presented in the rooms of Fondazione Marconi in Milan as well as in the exhibition AAVV: 30, held in the renewed space of Galleria Fumagalli in Bergamo. In 2005, the artist participated in the most important Italian group exhibitions: Un secolo di arte italiana, curated by Volker Feierabend, at the MART in Rovereto, La scultura italiana del XX secolo at Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro in Milan and Burri, gli artisti e la materia 1945-2004 at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome. In 2006, Uncini participated in very important exhibitions: the 12th Biennial of Sculpture in Carrara and the 12th Biennial of Contemporary Sacred Art at the Staurós Museum of Contemporary Sacred Art, Sanctuary of St. Gabriel.
Giuseppe Uncini lives and works in Rome and in Trevi (PG).
© Giuseppe Uncini
Epistilium, 2004
Cement and iron
cm. 370x1040x70