John Currin - Florence is You!

John Currin Paintings

ohn Currin, one of the most appreciated artists of our time is the protagonist of a grand event in the Museum Stefano Bardini in Florence until the 2nd of October. Currin, the painter of sophisticated technique and visual culture, is known and appreciated for elegant portraits and even lascivious scenes interpreted with ironic realism, across the settings which are never banal. The interpretation of feminine sensuality and the psychology of American bourgeois results in almost surreal or even grotesque and unconventional artworks. In the exhibition, there will be a presentation of a series of paintings which are unprecedented in Italy.

by Redazione July 28, 2016September 19, 2016

John Currin, one of the most appreciated artists of our time is the protagonist of a grand event in the Museum Stefano Bardini in Florence until the 2nd of October. Currin, the painter of sophisticated technique and visual culture, is known and appreciated for elegant portraits and even lascivious scenes interpreted with ironic realism, across the settings which are never banal. The interpretation of feminine sensuality and the psychology of American bourgeois results in almost surreal or even grotesque and unconventional artworks. In the exhibition, there will be a presentation of a series of paintings which are unprecedented in Italy.

They are chosen by the artist keeping in mind the extraordinary collections of paintings and sculptures of the Museum Stefano Bardini, the great Florentine antiquarian and collector of the nineteenth century. The exhibition consists of family portraits (his wife Rachel and three children Francis, Hollis and Flora), of allegorical portraits (Flora, The Penitent, The Lobster), of women portraits (Bent Lady, Anna, Big Hands) and of women nudes (Nude in a convex mirror). These artworks are seen for the first time in Italy side by side to Donatellian Madonna, bronze and porcelain statues, carved frames, seventeenth century paintings and wooden medieval sculptures. The exhibition curated by Antonella Nesi and Sergio Risaliti is promoted by the Municipality of Florence in collaboration with Gagosian Gallery and the support of Faliero Sarti.

Italiano

Fino al 2 ottobre, John Currin, tra i più apprezzati artisti del nostro tempo, è protagonista di un grande evento al Museo Stefano Bardini di Firenze. Pittore sofisticato per tecnica e cultura visiva, Currin è conosciuto e apprezzato per ritratti elegantissimi e scene anche lascive interpretate con ironico realismo, attraverso ambientazioni mai banali. L’interpretazione dell’eros femminile, e della psicologia borghese americana, risulta nelle sue opere quasi surreale o grottesca, estremamente perturbante.

In mostra saranno presentati una serie di dipinti inediti per l’Italia, scelti dall’artista in dialogo con le straordinarie raccolte di pittura e scultura del Museo Stefano Bardini, grandissimo antiquario e collezionista fiorentino del XIX secolo. Si tratta di ritratti familiari (Rachel, sua moglie, i tre figli Francis, Hollis e Flora), di ritratti allegorici (Flora, The Penitent, The Lobster) e di ritratti muliebri (Bent Lady, Anna, Big Hands), di nudi femminili (Nude in a convex mirror), opere presentate per la prima volta in Italia affiancate a Madonne donatelliane, bronzetti e porcellane, cornici intagliate, dipinti seicenteschi, sculture lignee medievali. La mostra, curata da Antonella Nesi e Sergio Risaliti, è promossa dal Comune di Firenze, in collaborazione con Gagosian Gallery e con il sostegno di Faliero Sarti.