Ugo Nespolo - The Baptism

Original embossed silkscreen in thirty-eight colors with collage application of die-cut tiles on Arches paper gr 600 format 70×50 cm made according to an exclusive process at the Stamperia Arte Tre of Alberto Serighelli in a limited edition of one hundred and ninety-five copies numbered from 1/195 to 195/195 and fifteen copies numbered from I/XV to XV/XV. Born in Mosso Santa Maria (Biella) on August 29, 1941, he graduated from the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts under Enrico Paulucci and holds a degree in Modern Literature with a thesis in Semiology. His debut on the Italian art scene dates back to the 1960s, to Pop Art, the future Conceptual and Arte Povera movements (exhibitions at Remo Pastori's Il Punto gallery in Turin and Galleria Schwarz in Milan). Never strictly tied to any one movement, his work was immediately characterized by a pronounced ironic, transgressive edge, and a personal sense of fun that would always be a sort of trademark. In the 1970s, Nespolo explored a second medium, cinema: specifically, experimental, artist-led cinema. His cast included artist friends, from Lucio Fontana to Enrico Baj to Michelangelo Pistoletto. Cultural institutions such as the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Philadelphia Museum of Modern Art, the Filmoteka Polska in Warsaw, and the Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna in Ferrara have dedicated extensive exhibitions to his films. The 1970s marked a pivotal period for Nespolo: he won the Bolaffi Prize (1974) and created Museo (Museum) (1975–76), a ten-meter-long painting that marked the beginning of a never-ending trend of reinterpreting, deconstructing, and reinventing the art of others. The work was exhibited for the first time in 1976 at the Museo Progressivo d'Arte Contemporanea in Livorno. The 1970s also saw the beginning of his experimentation with unusual techniques (embroidery, inlay) and materials (alabaster, ebony, mother-of-pearl, ivory, porcelain, silver). It was during this period that L'albero dei cappelli (The Hat Tree) was born, later mass-produced as a furnishing element. The 1980s marked the height of Ugo Nespolo's "American period": he spent part of the year in the States, and the streets, shop windows, and hamburger vendors of New York became the focus of his paintings. During these years, he also gained experience in the applied arts: Nespolo remained faithful to the historic avant-garde's motto of "bringing art into life" and was convinced that contemporary artists must transcend the confines of the specific assigned by late-Romantic clichés. This is evidenced by the approximately fifty posters he created for various exhibitions and events (among others, Azzurra, the Turin International Motor Show, the National Sailing Federation), the 1986 RAI calendar, the sets for the American production (Stamford) of Busoni's Turandot, and the RAI video theme songs (such as Indietro Tutta with Renzo Arbore). In 1986, Genoa celebrated Nespolo's twentieth anniversary of artistic activity with the retrospective exhibition La Bella Insofferenza at Villa Croce. In 1990, the City of Milan dedicated a major exhibition to him at the Palazzo Reale. That same year saw prestigious artistic collaborations, including the advertising campaign for Campari, the sets and costumes for Paisiello's Don Quixote for the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, and an exhibition of ceramics—Nespolo's new interest—as part of the International Biennial of Ceramics and Antiques at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Faenza. In 1991, he participated in the International Ceramic Festival, Ceramic World Shigaraki, in Japan. The following year, the Galleria Borghi & C. in New York hosted A Fine Intolerance, a solo exhibition of paintings and ceramics. In 1994, a solo film exhibition was promoted by the Valle d'Aosta Region at the Tour Fromage in Aosta. The following year, Nespolo designed sets and costumes for Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, the Paris Opera, Lausanne, Liège, and Metz. Also in 1995 were the retrospective Casa d'Arte Nespolo at the Palazzo della Permanente in Milan and the solo exhibition Pictura si instalatu in Bucharest, curated by the Romanian Ministry of Culture. In May 1996, the solo exhibition Le Stanze dell'Arte opened at the Promotrice delle Belle Arti in Turin, organized by the Piedmont Region. A few months later, Ugo Nespolo became artistic director of Richard-Ginori. In April 1997, the Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, Malta, dedicated a solo exhibition to him. A traveling exhibition in Latin America began in Buenos Aires (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes) and continued in Cordoba (Centro de Arte Contemporaneo de Cordoba, Chateau Carreras), Mendoza (Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno de Mendoza), and Montevideo (Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales).

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