Enrico Castellani Italian, 1930-2017

Italian artist Enrico Castellani was a leading figure of the European post-war avant-garde and is considered an influential forerunner of Minimalism.  Castellani pursued a coexistence of painting, sculpture and architecture in his work, transcending traditional notions of painting.  The artist created a rhythmic dynamism of protrusions and recessions, shadow and light, in his monochromatic works by placing nails and other objects behind his tautly stretched canvases.  In 1959, Castellani and Piero Manzoni co-founded the experimental Galleria Azimut in Milan and the affiliated journal Azimuth, and also established Milan as a vital centre of the ZERO movement.  Castellani's works are included in prominent public collections around the world, including Centre Pompidou, Paris; Fondazione Prada, Milan; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Roma (MACRO), Rome; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; and Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.  Castellani represented Italy at the Venice Biennale in 1964, 1966, 1984 and 2003.