Say what ill of it you may; [Italy] still remains to the poet the land of his predilection, to the artist the land of his necessity, and to all the land of dreams and visions of delight.
—Henry W. Longfellow (1807–1882)
Gagosian Rome is pleased to present Made in Italy, a group show marking the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification.
The exhibition maps an unexpected Italian journey through works by seminal artists of the past sixty years: Georg Baselitz, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Joseph Beuys, Dike Blair, Marcel Duchamp, Alberto Giacometti, Douglas Gordon, Andreas Gursky, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Howard Hodgkin, Mike Kelley, Jeff Koons, Louise Lawler, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Prince, Robert Rauschenberg, Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra, Cindy Sherman, David Smith, Thomas Struth, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, and Lawrence Weiner.
Italy’s irresistible appeal to international artists is deeply rooted in history. In the tradition of the Grand Tour popular during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, British, American, French, and German travelers crossed the Alps to witness what they had previously only experienced in books: the wonders of the classical tradition, the masterpieces of an idealized past, as well as the thrill that the distinct Italian lifestyle and customs kindled. Immersing themselves in the marvels of the past and the harmonious disarray of the present, artists from near and far negotiated the trials and tribulations of early tourism. From Venice’s Byzantine exoticism, the cerebral sensuality of the Florentine Renaissance, and the beguiling vestiges of classical Rome, Italy became an inspiring artistic idea and ideal. This infatuation continued into the twentieth century, during which tourism became easier and accessible to many. Experiencing the animated cities or pastoral idylls of Italy remains a rite of passage in the careers of many contemporary artists.
