Germano Celant

“For fifty years I’ve been practicing different kinds of writing: scripture: a theoretical one for essays, one for the production of books and catalogues, and one focused on the exhibitions. The story of (my) exhibitions aims to draw attention to this last kind of writing”. – Germano Celant

This book, which Germano Celant (Genoa, 1940 – Milan, 2020) had been working on for years, is published posthumously and represents the professional and spiritual testament of this well known and internationally respected curator.

It tells the story of the exhibitions that characterised Celant’s work presenting, in chronological order, a selection of 34 exhibitions: from Arte povera – Im-spazio, Genoa, 1967, to Post Zang Tumb Tuuum: Art Life Politics – Italia 1918-1943, Milan, 2018, passing through Identité italienne – L’art en Italie depuis 1959, Paris, 1981; Futuro Presente Passato, 47 – Venice International Art Exhibition, 1997; When Attitudes Become Form – Bern 1969/Venice, 2013; and Arts & Foods. Rituals since 1851 – Milan, 2015. The books retraces the exhibitions through over 400 pictures of the actual displays and the critical texts that were published in the respective catalogues.

Thus emerges the evolution in Celant’s curatorial practice, from personal interpretation to his focus on historical documents, with an eye always turned towards non-traditional media (book, record, photography) and towards the encroachments between different languages (art, architecture, design).

Text in English and Italian.