Flash Art 25-26. giugnio - luglio 1971.

Item Details

Milano, Flash Art, 1971

fine

Newspaper size magazine, 27 pages, illustrated throughout.

- First edition with a special attention (with many illustrations) for the work of Sol Lewitt, On Kawara, Fulton, Arakawa, Enea, De Dominicis, Agnetti, Tremlett, Raynaud, Man Ray, Agam, Croce + a documentation about Fabio Mauri's performance 'Che cose è il Fascismo.

On the front page the following text by Politi:

'WE SAY NO TO THE VENICE BIENNALE The Italian P.S.I, (the Italian Socialist Party) has imposed one of his men, Mario Penelope, as the next director of the Venice Biennale, the visual arts department. More than two years ago (Flash art Sept. 1968) we foresaw such a takeover and all its ins and outs, and pinted to Mr. Penelope as the future leader of the mentioned boat. Whoever made the choice, they have chosen the most incompetent, the most disqualified man for the job. The only experience this man has comes from having been the owner of a commercial gallery bearing his name, a gallery which assembled most of the Italian second rate trashy stuff of the time. From a wretched art gallery to only director of the Venice Biennale it's a long jump, the support of the Socialist Party has been instrumental to such a promotion. The consequence is that the Venice Biennale has sunk. Now, we are waiting for the names of those Penelope is going to appoint as members of the commission. It will be interesting to see who's going to sell himself for such a job. He who accepts, will not have any justification whatsoever, the game is all too clear. Any decent man should say no to such appointment. The only alternative is to refuse such mafia-like structure, which tends to involve everybody, and makes everybody guilty. Those who accept hoping that they will salvage something of the old culture are under a dangerous illusion. To accept power, at this level, is dirty, injustifiable, inqualifiable. Let's isolate them, let them sink alone, without support, let them sink in a sea of thit. To delay their agony is a crime. Giancarlo Politi?

Despite this protest:

'Mario Penelope was nominated in 1971 as Special Commissioner for Fine Arts, and immediately organized an exhibition entitled Aspects of European Graphics at Ca' Pesaro. Penelope created a much-appreciated Biennale in 1972, which was articulated in a series of exhibitions. He also proposed a comprehensive theme for the first time entitled Work and Behaviour . During this Biennale, ten thousand butterflies were liberated from a large wooden chest in Saint Mark's Square. Gino De Dominicis, just twenty-five years old at the time, "exhibited" a boy affected by Down's Syndrome, hanging a sign from his neck reading "Second solution for immortality: the universe is immobile". This caused a major scandal and public protests against this "cynicism" provoked interrogations in Italian parliament.' (from the site of the Venice biennale)