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Mimesi, 1975
GPE-0019
Mimesis
Plaster casts
Two casts h 36 cm each
156 x 120 x 60 cm
No inscriptions
Numbering on the certificate of authenticity
20 in Arabic numerals from 1/20 to 20/20
3 artist’s proofs in Arabic numerals from 1/3 (p.a.) to 3/3 (p.a.)
Edizioni Multipli, Turin
The multiple is part of the production of multiplied art by the Galleria Multipli, Turin – founded in 1970 by Giorgio Persano and active until 1976 – made in close collaboration with exponents of the Arte povera and Conceptual art movements.
The two casts must be placed on two plinths each measuring 120 x 40 x 40 cm, 30-40 cm apart from each other, and staggered by approximately 20 cm, so that the gazes of the two figures cross each other.
Two plaster casts of the head of the Venus de' Medici of Cleomenes of Apollodorus are placed opposite each other, slightly askew so that their gazes intersect.
The exchange of gazes between the two figures questions the reasons for the very existence of the work and its coming into being via our gaze. In the words of the artist: “In Mimesi what I was interested in was not so much celebrating the dignified and historical effigy of specific sculptural works from the past, as much as attributing to a certain figure the status of a sublime, unique, and unrepeatable work of art, at the same time placing it before its peer. The work of art does not wait for our gaze; rather, it contemplates itself pondering the reason for its existence".1
The work is part of a group of works with the same title made in 1975-76 and in 1988 involving the plaster casts of various classical subjects (GPO-0283, GPO-0317, GPO-0318, GPO-0330, GPO-0620, and among the prints and multiples cf. Vis-à-vis, 1992, GPE-0087)).
1 G. Paolini in conversation with I. Bernardi, 21 January 2013.
Cleomenes son of Apollodorus, Medici Venus, late 1st century BC, marble, h 153 cm, Le Gallerie degli Uffizi, Florence.
| 1975 | Bologna, Studio G7, Giulio Paolini, from 15 November. |
| 1976 | Genoa, Galleria Unimedia, La somiglianza, from 21 January, touring to: Rome, Cannaviello Studio d'arte, [unknown dates]; Milan, Studio Palazzoli, April, repr. n. pag. |
| 1976 | Turin, Galleria Multipli, Giulio Paolini, from 23 January. |
| 1976 | Paris, Galerie Yvon Lambert, Giulio Paolini, from 26 February. |
| 1976 | Parma, Palazzo della Pilotta, Giulio Paolini, Sala delle Scuderie, Giulio Paolini, 11 March - 21 April, repr. no. 195. |
| 1977 | Florence, Galleria Spagnoli, Marta & Maria, from 22 March, touring to: Ferrara, Palazzo dei Diamanti, 8 May - 19 June, repr. n. pag. |
| 1977 | London, Lisson Gallery, Giulio Paolini, 12 April - 14 May. |
| 1977 | Dublin, Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art and National Museum of Ireland, Rosc ‘77: The Poetry of Vision, 20 August - 30 October, cited in the checklist of exhibited works no. 109 p. 96, repr. p. 97; incorrect installation. |
| 1977 | São Paulo, Pavilhão Armando de Arruda Pereira, Parque Ibirapuera, XIV Bienal Internacional de São Paulo, 1 October - 18 December, repr. p. 363. |
| 1977-78 | Sanremo, Villa Comunale Ormond, La traccia del racconto. 21 artisti italiani contemporanei, December 1977 - January 1978, repr. n. pag. |
| 1979 | Bologna, Studio G7, Riflessione (lo specchio, la specularità), from 24 March, documentation of the exhibition in G7 Studio Notiziario mensile d'arte e cultura 4, no. 3 (Bologna), March, 1979, repr. p. 8. |
| 1985 | Bologna, Galleria De Foscherari, L’idea del marmo, April, touring to: Florence, Galleria La Piramide, from 5 December, not repr. |
| 1985 | Esslingen am Neckar, Galerie der Stadt, Villa Merkel, Sein und Sehnsucht. 10 italienische Künstler der 60er und 70er Jahre, 19 July - 25 August, touring to: Kassel, Kunstverein Kassel, 5-30 October, cited in the checklist of exhibited works n. pag. (with incorrect date “1972” and incorrect indication of the edition size “edition of 10”), repr. no. 20. |
| 1990 | Turin, Galleria In Arco, Arte Povera, 14 May - 15 September, cited in the checklist of exhibited works n. pag., repr. n. pag. |
| 1992 | Bonn, Bonner Kunstverein, Giulio Paolini. Impressions graphiques. Das graphische Werk 1967-1992, 24 February - 29 March (catalogue Impressions graphiques. L’opera grafica 1967-1992 di Giulio Paolini [Turin: Marco Noire Editore, 1992], cat. no. 19). |
| 1992 | New York, Marian Goodman Gallery, Summer Group Show, Summer. |
| 1993 | Winterthur, Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Giulio Paolini. Impressions graphiques. Das druckgraphische Werk 1967-1992, 16 January - 7 March (catalogue Impressions graphiques. L’opera grafica 1967-1992 di Giulio Paolini [Turin: Marco Noire Editore, 1992], cat. no. 19). |
| 1995 | Lisbon, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian / Centro de Arte Moderna José de Azeredo Perdigão, Giulio Paolini. Impressions graphiques. Múltiplos e Obra Gráfica 1969-1995, 16 March - 28 May, not repr. in the exhibition brochure (catalogue Impressions graphiques. L’opera grafica 1967-1992 di Giulio Paolini [Turin: Marco Noire Editore, 1992], cat. no. 19). |
| 1996 | Nice, Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Arte Povera. Les multiples, 23 March - 16 June, cited in the checklist of exhibited works p. 37, repr. p. 25. |
| 1996 | Apolda, Kunsthaus Apolda Avantgarde, Giulio Paolini. Impressions graphiques, 27 September - 27 October (catalogue Impressions graphiques. L’opera grafica 1967-1992 di Giulio Paolini [Turin: Marco Noire Editore, 1992], cat. no. 19). |
| 1997 | Göppingen, Kunsthalle, Giulio Paolini. Impressions graphiques. Das graphische Druckwerk 1967-1995, 9 March - 13 April (catalogue Impressions graphiques. L’opera grafica 1967-1992 di Giulio Paolini [Turin: Marco Noire Editore, 1992], cat. no. 19). |
| 2001 | Milan, Association Jacqueline Vodoz et Bruno Danese, Impressions Graphiques. L’opera grafica di Giulio Paolini, 1967-2000, 17 May - 22 June, not repr. |
| 2001 | Belvedere italiano. Linee di tendenza nell’arte contemporanea 1945-2001, Centre for Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw, 19 June - 22 July, cited in the checklist of exhibited works p. 140, col. repr. p. 122 (erroneously dated “1964”). |
| 2003-04 | Brussels, Académie Royale de Belgique, Il nuovo rit-ratto d’Europa. Identità dell’arte italiana negli ultimi 40 anni, 7 October - 30 November, touring to: Bologna, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio, San Giorgio in Poggiale, 10 January - 15 February 2004, repr. p. 74. |
| 2004 | New York, Marian Goodman Gallery, Reflecting the Mirror, 14 June - 27 August. |
| 2006 | Rome, Studio d'arte contemporanea Pino Casagrande, Flavio de Marco – Mimesi.04 che guarda Mimesi di Giulio Paolini, 22 September - 15 November, repr. p. 7, col. repr. pp. 10, 11 and on the folded plate (exhibition views), referred to in the text by C. Bonvicini pp. 2, 5, 6, 9 (Italian and English); edition 10/20. |
| 2007 | Genoa, Museo d’arte contemporanea Villa Croce, In pubblico. Azioni e idee degli anni ’70 in Italia, 30 March - 2 September, repr. pp. 30-31. |
| 2007 | Rome, Università LUISS Guido Carli, Lo spazio e la misura, 12 October - 15 December, cited in the checklist of exhibited works p. 32, col. repr. p. 33; edition 10/20. |
| 2016 | London, Repetto Gallery, Metamorphosis. The Alchemists of Matter. A Point of View on Arte Povera, 5 October - 2 November, col. repr. p. 43; edition 2/20. |
| 2018 | Strand (London), The Arcade at Bush House and Inigo Rooms Somerset House, King’s College London, The Classical Now, 2 March - 28 April, col. repr. pp. 104-105, referred to in the text by J. Cahill p. 99; edition 2/20. |
| 2018 | Celbridge (Irland), Long Gallery, Castletown House, On a Pedestal, 1 July - 31 August, touring to: Dublin, Coach House, Dublin Castle, 14 September - 4 November, col. repr. p. 43, note by the artist When I place two identical copies... p. 42; edition 2/20. |
| 2019 | Turin, Noire Gallery, Giulio Paolini. Promemoria, 12 April - 10 June. |
| 2019-20 | Milan, Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Canova. I volti ideali, 24 October 2019 - 15 March 2020, col. repr. p. 94, entry by A. Oldani pp. 203-204; artist’s proof 1/3. |
| 2021 | Rome, Erica Ravenna Arte Contemporanea, L’uomo e l’arte, 22 April - 20 July, col. repr. pp. 32, 42 (exhibition views), 44, referred to in the text by L. Cherubini p. 20 (in general on the versions of Mimesi with two casts of an antique head); edition 2/20. |
| 2022 | Paris, Librairie Marian Goodman, Giulio Paolini. Printed Editions and Multiples (1967-1977), 6 October - 26 November; artist’s proof 1/3. |
| 2023 | Lugano, Repetto Gallery, Giorgio de Chirico. Nello specchio del Novecento. Warhol, Schifano, Paolini, Ghirri, Salvo, 23 September - 16 December; edition 2/20. |
| • | G. Paolini, L’illusione che l’artista…, first published on the invitation of the solo exhibition at the Galleria Multipli, Turin, January 1976; republished in Giulio Paolini. Atto unico in tre quadri, exhibition catalogue, Milan, Studio Marconi (Milan: Gabriele Mazzotta editore, 1979), p. 104; Impressions graphiques. L'opera grafica 1967-1992 di Giulio Paolini (Turin: Marco Noire Editore, 1992), cat. no. 19. |
| • | G. Paolini in the interview with F. Pasini, “La parola e la mano. Intervista a Giulio Paolini”, in L’Illustrazione italiana 5, n.s., no. 24 (Milan), November, 1985, p. 21, general commentary on all the versions of Mimesi; republished in Giulio Paolini. La voce del pittore – Scritti e interviste 1965-1995, edited by M. Disch (Lugano: ADV Publishing House, 1995), p. 209. |
| • | T. Trini, “Paolini. Le sprigioni”, in Studio Marconi 3-4 (Milan), 5 February 1976, pp. 3-4, repr. p. 3; republished in an enlarged version titled “Come l’immaginario si ribella all’immaginazione”, in Data 20 (Milan), March-April, 1976, pp. 88-89, repr. p. 90, and in Tommaso Trini. Mezzo secolo di arte intera. Scritti 1964-2014, edited by L. Cerizza (Milan: Johan & Levi Editore, 2016), p. 114, not repr. |
| • | I. Calvino, “Equarrissage”, in Opus International 59 (Paris), May, 1976, repr. p. 40; French translation of the author’s essay written for G. Paolini, Idem (Turin: Giulio Einaudi editore, 1975). |
| • | Art Actuel Skira Annuel N. 4 / Actual Art Skira Annual No. 4 (Geneva: Éditions Skira, 1978), repr. p. 75. |
| • | G. Cortenova, “Riflessione (lo specchio, la specularità)”, in G7 Studio 4, no. 3 (Bologna), March, 1979, repr. p. 8. |
| • | E. Franz, “Del bello intelligibile – Die geistige Schönheit”, in Giulio Paolini. Del bello intelligibile, exhibition catalogue, Bielefeld, Kunsthalle Bielefeld, 1982, p. 8, repr.; republished in French in Pratiques. Réflexions sur l’Art 2 (Rennes), Autumn, 1996, p. 41, repr. |
| • | R. De Fusco, Storia dell’arte contemporanea (Bari: Editori Laterza, 1983), p. 382, repr. no. 349; reprint (Bari: Edizioni Laterza, 2010). |
| • | Histoires de sculpture, exhibition catalogue, Cadillac, Château des Ducs d’Epernon, 1984, repr. p. 33 (exhibition view Paris 1976). |
| • | Inventario per una raccolta di meraviglie: la collezione Carlo Dani (Montespertoli: 1986), col. repr. n. pag. (installation view at Dani Collection). |
| • | T.F. Conti, “Giulio Paolini. Stacco permanente”, in Titolo 2, no. 4 (Perugia), Spring, 1991, repr. p. 7. |
| • | Italie à la FIAC 1992 (Rome: Edisi Edizioni Sistema Italia, 1992), repr. pp. 100-101. |
| • | Impressions graphiques. L’opera grafica 1967-1992 di Giulio Paolini (Turin: Marco Noire Editore, 1992), cat. no. 19, repr., with text by the artist L’illusione che l’artista…. |
| • | D. von Drathen, “Giulio Paolini. Der blinde Blick des Sehers”, in Künstler. Kritisches Lexikon der Gegenwartskunst 33, no. 7 (Munich: Weltkunst-Bruckmann Verlag, 1996), pp. 7, 10, repr. no. 8 p. 8; republished in Id., Vortex of silence. Proposition for an art criticism beyond aesthetic categories (Milan: Edizioni Charta, 2004), pp. 225-226, 228, not repr. |
| • | Rewriting Conceptual Art, edited by M. Newman and J. Bird (London: Reaktion Books, 1999), repr. p. 172. |
| • | Flavio de Marco. Souvenir Schifanoia, exhibition catalogue, Ferrara, Palazzo Massari PAC (Ferrara: Sate Editore, 2007), col. repr. pp. 76, 77. |
| • | Giulio Paolini, exhibition catalogue, Bologna, Studio G7 (Bologna: Damiani editore, 2008), repr. pp. 76-77, 78, 79 (exhibition views Bologna 1975). |
| • | M. Disch, Giulio Paolini. Catalogo ragionato 1960-1999, vol. 1 (Milan: Skira editore, 2008), cat. no. 283 p. 294, not repr. |
| • | Artist / Work / Lisson (London: Lisson Gallery, 2017), repr. p. 947 (exhibition view London 1977). |
| • | Paolini. I Grandi illustrati del Corriere della Sera. Arte contemporanea – I protagonisti 8, edited by F. Gualdoni (Milan: RCS MediaGroup S.p.a., 2022), repr. p. 18. |
| • | P. Repetto, “Oltre il visibile”, in Giulio Paolini. O.D.E., exhibition catalogue, Monforte d’Alba, Castello di Perno (Alba: Fondazione Mancini Carini, 2022), pp. 25-26, repr. no. 2 p. 47. |
Entry by Bettina Della Casa and Maddalena Disch, 10/01/2025
