Idem IV (regesto delle opere come motivo a figure geometriche sparse), 1974
GPO-0265
Idem IV (Register of Works as Scattered Geometric Figures Motif)
Worked metal (varies according to the edition number)
Seventy-two parts of different shapes and dimensions, box 12 x 12 x 12 cm, overall dimensions variable
Signed and numbered on the printed sheet included with the box
The work was executed in a numbered edition of eleven. These were produced in four different types of metal worked in three distinct ways, and in four artist's proofs numbered from A/D to D/D, produced in four different types of polished metal. Each edition includes seventy-two elements that are listed on the printed sheet included in the box.
Recently, the work also appeared in some copies that the artist does not recognize as being authentic, accompanied by a printed sheet referred to a presumed series of nine editions and having a forged signature.
| 1/11 | Edition in brushed steel: Present whereabouts unknown |
| 2/11 | Edition in polished steel: Paul Maenz Collection, Berlin |
| 3/11 | Edition in brushed aluminum: Private collection, Bolzano |
| 4/11 | Edition in burnished aluminum: Present whereabouts unknown |
| 5/11 | Edition in polished aluminum: Galleria Massimo Minini, Brescia |
| 6/11 | Edition in brushed brass: Zaira Mis Collection, Brussels |
| 7/11 | Edition in burnished brass: BPER Banca Collection |
| 8/11 | Edition in polished brass: Dominic and Cordula Sohst-Brennenstuhl Collection |
| 9/11 | Edition in brushed copper: The LeWitt Collection, Chester, Connecticut |
| 10/11 | Edition in burnished copper: Gerd de Vries Collection, Berlin |
| 11/11 | Edition in polished copper: Private collection |
| A.P. A/D | Artist’s proof in polished steel: Kunst Museum, Winterthur |
| A.P. B/D | Artist’s proof in polished aluminum: Present whereabouts unknown |
| A.P. C/D | Artist’s proof in polished brass: Collection of the artist |
| A.P. D/D | Artist’s proof in polished copper: Fondazione Giulio e Anna Paolini, Turin |
| 2/11 | From 1996 to 2005 on loan at Neues Museum, Weimar |
| A.P. A/D | Acquired in 2000, inventory no. S.2000.5 |
| A.P. D/D | Gift of the artist, 25 October 2012, archive no. GPO-0265 |
The installation calls for a free or regular arrangement of the elements on the wall: in random order, starting from the more concentrated central nucleus and gradually branching outwards, or in a succession, thus tracing a rectangular perimeter or one with equidistant spaces in between, to form an orderly pattern. The way the elements are arranged must include the alternating of geometric forms, but without observing a predetermined criterion.
Alternatively, the work can be exhibited on a plinth, with the elements arranged inside the box, except for a few of them scattered on the outside, next to the box.
• 1974, Genoa, Galleriaforma: installation at regular intervals in three parallel and equidistant rows, on adjacent walls.
• 1974, Cologne, Galerie Paul Maenz: installation at regular intervals in three parallel and equidistant rows, on multiple walls.
• 1974, Bari, Galleria Bonomo: installation in random order framing the passageway between the two display areas.
• 1974, Bolzano, Galleria Il Sole: installation at regular intervals in three parallel and equidistant rows, on adjacent walls.
• 1975, Zurich, Galerie Annemarie Verna: installation at regular intervals in three parallel and equidistant orders, on multiple walls.
• 1977, Mönchengladbach, Städtisches Museum: installation at regular intervals in three parallel and equidistant orders, on adjacent walls.
• 1982, Hamburg, Raum für Kunst: installation in random order on four windows.
• 1984, Villeurbanne, Le Nouveau Musée: installation in random order on a single wall.
• 1985, Montreal, Musée d’art contemporain: installation in random order on a single wall.
• 1985, Vancouver, Vancouver Art Gallery: installation in random order on a single wall.
• 1986, Charleroi, Palais des Beaux-Arts: installation in random order on a single wall.
• 1986, Stuttgart, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart: installation featuring a continuous frieze, at the top of and along the wall.
• 1999, Weimar, Neues Museum: installation in random order framing a square drawn on a wall.
• 1999, Turin, GAM Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea: installation in random order framing the display area on the lower floor.
• 2003, Erice, La Salerniana: installation flowing irregularly on multiple walls, starting from a central dilation.
• 2005, Winterthur, Kunstmuseum Winterthur: installation with elements arranged so that they form a large frame.
• 2005, Münster, Westälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte: installation with elements arranged so that they form a large frame.
• 2007, Lugano, Museo Cantonale d’Arte: installation on a plinth, with the box and several elements arranged outside.
• 2016, Basel, Art Basel, stand Galleria Massimo Minini: installation with elements arranged at random on a single wall, based on a new project developed by the artist for the occasion.
• 2018, Milan, Fondazione Carriero: installation on a plinth (80 x 80 x 80 cm), with a plexiglas case (40 x 40 x 40 cm), with the container knocked over on its side, and all the elements scattered outside.
• 2019, Bremen, Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst: installation with elements arranged so that they form a frame.
The seventy-two geometrically shaped metallic elements “evoke all together the idea of the inventory or the register of all the possible works”,1 as the artist tells us. If each element can be understood as the miniature of a painting, their assemblage enclosed in the box in turn underlies a "register" of potential installations.
The installation calls for a free or regular arrangement of the elements on the wall: in random order, starting from the more concentrated central nucleus and gradually branching outwards or, on the contrary, in an orderly sequence thus designing a rectangular perimeter. When the work is not installed, the seventy-two elements are preserved in the box made of the same type of metal.
Idem IV is part of a cycle of seven works made between 1972 and 1978, which have in common the idea of a "register" of "works" formulated each time in the form of a different "motif" (GPO-0244, GPO-0245, GPO-0261, GPO-0265, GPO-0296, GPO-0335, GPO-0400). In the artist's own words: “The cycle of works entitled Idem is conceived as the hypothetical register of all the works in existence, that have existed, or that may exist: both abstract and virtual, it allows me to proceed in time and in the history of art by listing without naming them the images that comprise it”.2 “Idem does not identify which works, but, rather, indicates those works constituting a whole that in some way pre-exists any further analysis or identification".3
The work was reproduced in a second version made that same year which is distinguished for the smaller size of the box, the quality of the metals, and the number of editions (GPO-0266).
1 G. Paolini in conversation with I. Bernardi, 16 January 2013.
2 G. Paolini in conversation with M. Disch (2008), in M. Disch, Giulio Paolini. Catalogo ragionato 1960-1999, vol. 1 (Milan: Skira editore, 2008), cat. no. 245 p. 254.
3 G. Paolini interviewed by C. Marchetti (1994), in Giulio Paolini. La voce del pittore – Scritti e interviste 1965-1995, edited by M. Disch (Lugano: ADV Publishing House, 1995), p. 288.
| 1974 | Genoa, Galleriaforma, Giulio Paolini. Idem (IV), 30 March - 19 April; installation in three aligned orders. |
| 1974 | Cologne, Galerie Paul Maenz, Giulio Paolini, 6 April - 3 May; edition 8/11; installation in three aligned orders on multiple walls. |
| 1974 | Bari, Galleria Bonomo, Giulio Paolini. Idem (IV), from 12 October; installation in random order framing the passageway between to display areas. |
| 1974 | Bolzano, Galleria Il Sole, Giulio Paolini, 16 November - 12 December, repr. n. pag. (exhibition view Genoa 1974); edition 4/11; installation in three aligned orders. |
| 1975 | Zurich, Galerie Annemarie Verna, Giulio Paolini, 4 - 30 April; installation in three aligned orders on multiple walls. |
| 1975 | Modigliana, Premio Silvestro Lega, Didattica, 20 July - 17 August; touring to: Forlì, 31 August - 21 September, repr. n. pag., artist’s writing n. pag. |
| 1977 | Mönchengladbach, Städtisches Museum, Giulio Paolini, 3 March - 11 April, repr. (box with some elements scattered outside); installation in three aligned orders. |
| 1982 | Hamburg, Raum für Kunst, Giulio Paolini, 16 August - 15 October, cited in the checklist of exhibited works in the visitor’s guide, not repr., referred to in the text by M. Kramer; edition 8/11; installation in random order on four windows. |
| 1984 | Villeurbanne, Le Nouveau Musée, Giulio Paolini, 20 January - 18 March, not repr.; edition 8/11; installation in random order on a single wall. |
| 1985-86 | Montreal, Musée d’art contemporain, Giulio Paolini, 7 July - 8 September, touring to: Vancouver, Vancouver Art Gallery, 29 November 1985 - 19 January 1986, same catalogue, edition and installation as for the solo exhibition in Villeurbanne 1984. |
| 1986 | Charleroi, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Giulio Paolini, 15 February - 30 March, same catalogue, edition and installation as for the solo exhibition in Villeurbanne 1984. |
| 1986 | Stuttgart, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Giulio Paolini, 20 September - 2 November, cited in the checklist of exhibited works no. 18 vol. 4 p. 51, repr. vol. 4 p. 29 (box with some elements scattered outside); edition 2/11; installation featuring a continuous frieze, at the top of and along the wall. |
| 1991-92 | Hartford, Wadsworth Atheneum, Open Mind: The LeWitt Collection, 4 August 1991 - 23 February 1992, no catalogue; edition 9/11. |
| 1996 | Brussels, Artiscope, Oro, 28 April - 27 September; edition 6/11. |
| 1999 | Weimar, Neues Museum, Auffrischender Wind aus wechselnden Richtungen. Internationale Avantgarde seit 1960: Die Sammlung Paul Maenz, 1 January - 31 December, repr. cat. no. 79 p. 116 (box with some elements scattered outside), catalogue entry by H. Dickel, repr. p. 321 (exhibition view); edition 2/11; installation in random order framing a square drawn on a wall. |
| 1999 | Turin, GAM Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Giulio Paolini. Da oggi a ieri, 8 May - 25 July, cited in the checklist of exhibited works p. 37 n. 22, repr. p. 68 (exhibition view Weimar 1999); artist’s proof C/D; installation in random order framing the display area on the lower floor. |
| 2000 | Rome, Galleria Comunale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, (E così via) (And so on). 99 artisti della collezione Marchna, 20 June - 17 September, repr. n. pag. (box with some elements scattered outside); counterfeit edition. |
| 2003 | Erice, “La Salerniana”, Arte in Italia negli anni ’70. Arte e ambiente (1974-1977), 18 January - 22 April, no catalogue; installation flowing irregularly on multiple walls, starting from a central dilation. |
| 2003 | Winterthur, Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Contemplazione: Italienische Kunst aus der Sammlung, 6 September - 23 November, no catalogue; artist’s proof A/D; installation in random order on the upper part of a single wall. |
| 2003 | Magdeburg, Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen, La Poetica dell’Arte Povera, 14 September - 7 December, cited in the checklist of exhibited works no. 58 pp. 235-236, col. repr. p. 165 (box with some elements scattered outside), referred to in the text by K. Kohlhoff p. 204; edition 8/11; work not installed by the artist, with the box and several elements placed on a shelf. |
| 2005 | Winterthur, Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Giulio Paolini. Esposizione universale, 23 April - 24 June, cited in the checklist of exhibited works no. 4 p. 86, col. repr. n. pag. (exhibition view), referred to in the text by D. Schwarz p. 19; artist’s proof A/D; installation with elements arranged so that they form a large frame. |
| 2005-06 | Kiel, Kunsthalle zu Kiel, SEE history 2005. Der private Blick, 2 July 2005 - 7 July 2006, no catalogue; edition 8/11; work not installed by the artist, with the box on a base and the elements arranged in random order on a semicircular wall at the back. |
| 2005 | Münster, Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Giulio Paolini. Esposizione universale, 1 October 2005 - 8 January 2006, same catalogue, edition and installation as for the solo exhibition in Winterthur 2005. |
| 2007 | Lugano, Museo Cantonale d’Arte, Affinità e complementi. Opere dai musei svizzeri in dialogo con la Collezione del Museo Cantonale d’Arte, Lugano, 6 June - 9 September, cited in the checklist of exhibited works no. 140, col. repr. p. 162 (box with some elements scattered outside); artist’s proof A/D; installation on a plinth, with the box and several elements arranged outside. |
| 2018-19 | Milan, Fondazione Carriero, Giulio Paolini. Del bello ideale, 26 October 2018 • 10 February 2019, col. repr. vol. 1 pp. 138-139, 140-141 (exhibition views), 168 (box with some elements scattered outside); artist’s proof D/D; installation on a base, with the container knocked over on its side, and all the elements scattered outside. |
| 2019-20 | Bremen, Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst, So wie wir sind 1.0., 30 March 2019 - 5 January 2020, no catalogue; edition 8/11; installation with elements arranged so that they form a frame. |
| • | G. Paolini, Idem (Turin: Giulio Einaudi editore, 1975), p. 82, new edition (Milan: Electa, 2023), p. 108; general commentary on the first four versions of Idem (GPO-0244, GPO-0245, GPO-0261, GPO-0265); first published in Paolini, exhibition catalogue, Bolzano, Galleria Il Sole, 1974, n. pag. |
| • | G. Paolini in the interview with C. Marchetti (1994), in Giulio Paolini. La voce del pittore – Scritti e interviste 1965-1995, edited by M. Disch (Lugano: ADV Publishing House, 1995), p. 288. |
| • | G. Paolini in conversation with M. Disch (2008), in M. Disch, Giulio Paolini. Catalogo ragionato 1960-1999 (Milan: Skira editore, 2008), cat. no. 245 p. 254. |
| • | 13 “Projekt ’74” Artists, exhibition catalogue, Cologne, Paul Maenz, 1974, repr. n. pag. (box with some elements scattered outside). |
| • | Paul Maenz Köln. Jahresbericht 1974 (Cologne: Galerie Paul Maenz, 1974), repr. n. pag. (box with some elements scattered outside). |
| • | G. Paolini, Idem (Turin: Giulio Einaudi editore, 1975), repr. pp. 88-89 (exhibition view Cologne 1974); new edition (Milan: Electa, 2023), repr. pp. 114-115 (exhibition view Cologne 1974). |
| • | Didattica, exhibition catalogue, Modigliana, Ente Premio Silvestro Lega, 1975, repr. n. pag. (box with some elements scattered outside). |
| • | Paul Maenz 1970-1975 (Cologne: Galerie Paul Maenz, 1975), p. 78, repr. (box with some elements scattered outside). |
| • | L. Venturi, “Giulio Paolini. An interview with Luca Venturi”, in Studio International 191, no. 979 (London), January-February, 1976, repr. p. 31 (exhibition view Zurich 1975). |
| • | Giulio Paolini (Parma: Università di Parma, Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione, 1976), repr. no. 180 (exhibition view Zurich 1975). |
| • | Giulio Paolini, exhibition catalogue, Mannheim, Mannheimer Kunstverein, 1977, repr. p. 49 (box with some elements scattered outside). |
| • | Paul Maenz Köln 1970-1980. Der Blick zurück ist ein Blick auf die Gegenwart und/oder Die Wahrheit hat viele Brüste (Cologne: Galerie Paul Maenz, 1981), repr. p. 25 (box with some elements scattered outside). |
| • | W.M. Faust, “Et quid amabo: Notizen zu Arbeiten von Giulio Paolini”, in Giulio Paolini. Del bello intelligibile, exhibition catalogue, Bielefeld, Kunsthalle Bielefeld, 1982, p. 18 (in general on the cycle titled “Idem”), repr. p. 19 (box with some elements scattered outside). |
| • | S. Isler, Del bello intelligibile. Semiotische Analyse zu sechs Werken von Giulio Paolini, PhD dissertation (Zurich: Philosophische Fakultät I der Universität Zürich, 1983), pp. 221-223, 225, 228-241 (in general on the cycle titled “Idem”), not repr. |
| • | Paul Maenz Köln 1970-1980-1990. Eine Avantgarde-Galerie und die Kunst unserer Zeit / An Avant-Garde Gallery and the Art of Our Time, edited by G. de Vries (Cologne: DuMont Buchverlag, 1991), repr. p. 34 (box with some elements scattered outside). |
| • | La collection Christian Stein. Un regard sur l’art italien (Villeurbanne: Le Nouveau Musée and Art Édition, 1992), repr. p. 175 (box with some elements scattered outside), catalogue entry p. 289. |
| • | Giulio Paolini al Palazzo della Ragione, exhibition catalogue, Padua, Salone del Palazzo della Ragione (Milan: Fabbri Editori, 1995), repr. pp. 22-23 (exhibition view Bari 1974). |
| • | Konzeptkunst in der Hamburger Kunsthalle. Die Sammlung Elisabeth und Gerhard Sohst (Hamburg: Hamburger Kunsthalle, 1997), repr. p. 63 (box with some elements scattered outside), commentary by O. Westheider, catalogue entry p. 86. |
| • | M. Disch, “L’atto espositivo. Appunti sul lavoro di Giulio Paolini”, in Giulio Paolini. Von heute bis gestern / Da oggi a ieri, exhibition catalogue, Graz, Neue Galerie im Landesmuseum Joanneum (Ostfildern-Ruit: Cantz Verlag, 1998), pp. 117, 121 (in general on the cycle titled “Idem”), repr. p. 241 (exhibition view Bari 1974). |
| • | Die Sammlung Paul Maenz Neues Museum Weimar. Band I: Objekte, Bilder, Installationen (Weimar-Ostfildern-Ruit: Neues Museum and Hatje Cantz Verlag, 1999), repr. p. 116 cat. no. 79 (box with some elements scattered outside), catalogue entry by H. Dickel, repr. p. 321 (exhibition view Weimar 1999). |
| • | “Giulio Paolini. Esposizione Universale”, photo shoot of the solo exhibition Winterthur 2005, in Lotus 125 (Milan), September, 2005, col. repr. p. 74. |
| • | D. Schwarz, Kunstmuseum Winterthur (Zurich: Fondation BNP Paribas Suisse – Institut suisse pour l’étude de l’art, 2007), p. 96, repr. (exhibition view Winterthur 2005). |
| • | M. Disch, Giulio Paolini. Catalogo ragionato 1960-1999, vol. 1 (Milan: Skira editore, 2008), cat. no. 265 pp. 276-277, col. repr. (box with some elements scattered outside, exhibition view Winterthur 2005). |
| • | Kunstmuseum Winterthur. Katalog der Gemälde und Skulpturen/5, edited by D. Schwarz (Winterthur-Düsseldorf: Kunstmuseum Winterthur and Richter Verlag, 2017), pp. 57-59, repr. p. 57 (box with some elements scattered outside). |
| • | Giulio Paolini. A come Accademia, exhibition catalogue, Rome, Accademia Nazionale di San Luca (Rome: Gangemi Editore, 2023), col. repr. pp. 199 (exhibition view Stuttgart 1986), 285 (exhibition view Milan 2018). |
