ENRICO CASTELLANI

August 4th, 1930 – December 1st, 2017
Born in Castelmassa, Italy

Italian artist associated with the zero movement, Movimento Arte Nucleare and Azimut. He is best known for his ‘Superficies’ monochrome works, where he uses a technique in which the canvas is stretched like a membrane on an underlying nail structure thereby revealing a geometrical pattern and creating interplay between light and shadow. His original approach is considered fundamental for the art history of the 20th century, not only in Italy but also internationally. Castellani influenced Donald Judd, who saw him as the father of Minimalism. In 2010, he won the Praemium Imperiale award. His works have been exhibited at the MoMA and Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris among others and are held in several collections, including the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome and the Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Turin.