Fergus McCaffrey is pleased to announce its participation in the 2015 edition of Art Basel and in Unlimited. In keeping with the gallery’s advocacy of Post-War Japanese art, Fergus McCaffrey will present a selection of masterworks dated from the 1950s through to the 1970s, juxtaposed with important works by Italian avant-garde from the same period. The booth will serve to underscore the thematic affinities and conceptual strategies of the diverse artists on view.
The aesthetic revolution that occurred in both Italy and Japan in the aftermath of World War II played itself out in painting, sculpture, photography, and film. As totalitarian regimes were swept away, traditional cultural assumptions were challenged and overturned to unleash a torrent of creative innovation. A diverse body of work resulted, which responded radically to the metaphysical and corporeal scars of the war, the new-found freedom of expression, the advent of consumer culture, industrial re-development, and social alienation.
This presentation will highlight and examine the affinities between some of the most prominent artists from Japan and Italy, including Kazuo Shiraga, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Natsuyuki Nakanishi, Yayoi Kusama, Jiro Takamatsu and Mario Schifano.