Arte Povera at the Bourse de Commerce

On October 9th, 2024, the Bourse de Commerce, Pinault Collection will open a major exhibition titled Arte Povera, running through early 2025. This ambitious show will present over 250 works, both historic and contemporary, exploring the enduring legacy and influence of the Arte Povera movement. Emerging in Italy in the 1960s, Arte Povera emphasized the use of everyday materials and simple techniques, creating a dialogue between natural and industrial elements. Artists from the movement, such as Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, and Mario Merz, are celebrated for challenging traditional boundaries of painting, sculpture, and installation art.

Curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, an expert in Arte Povera, the exhibition will highlight works from the Pinault Collection, displayed alongside pieces from prestigious institutions like the Centre Pompidou and Tate Modern. The exhibition will transform the Bourse de Commerce’s unique architecture, creating an immersive landscape that invites visitors to traverse the poetic terrain of Arte Povera. Through the use of organic materials such as soil, wood, and even human bodies, the artists created works that evoke flows of energy and engage with themes of memory and emotion.

Arte Povera is significant for its non-dogmatic approach, breaking free from traditional forms of expression to embrace performance, action, and installation art. By combining natural and artificial materials, the movement sought to engage viewers in a direct dialogue with the art, inviting them to experience the energy and transformation within the work. This exhibition will also feature contemporary artists influenced by Arte Povera, including Theaster Gates, Pierre Huyghe, and Otobong Nkanga, who continue to extend its trajectory into the present.