Arte povera is back: The unexpected boom in ‘poor’ art that the rich admire A monumental exhibition dedicated to the avant-garde group of the 1960s is on display at the François Pinault Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris. The radical Italian movement is setting new records in the market and conquering museums around the world Arte povera — or “poor art” — will go down in history as one of the most unusual episodes of 20th-century art. The movement , made up of artists such as Michelangelo Pistoletto, Giuseppe Penone, Giovanni Anselmo, and Jannis Kounellis, rebelled against the capitalist system of production and consumption, amid a context of rapid industrialization in 1960s Italy.
At the time, the country was in ruins and searching for a new direction. The mostly Italian artists all used ephemeral and modest materials in their work, such as cardboard, wood, cement, neon lights, old clothes, plastic tarpaulins and newspapers. They distanced themselves from the norms of the art market, while also avoiding dominant trends, such as abstract expressionism , pop art, or minimalism.
The result was a set of modest and eclectic works of art. This is demonstrated by the vast and strange mix of 250 works that are currently part of the exhibition dedicated to arte povera at the Paris Bourse (“stock exchange”). The 19th-century building is home to the foundation set up by billionaire arts patron François Pinault .
Until January 20, this circular building — rem.