Gianni Bertini. Catalogue Raisonné
Electa 2020
English translation of the catalogue by Scriptum
An original, eclectic artist, informal abstract painter, inventor of provocative solutions as well as a writer, performer, and events promoter, Gianni Bertini was one of the protagonists of the art scene in the second half of the 20th century. The catalogue raisonné was developed as part of a project carried out over a period of several years, involving the Archivio Gianni Bertini – housed in the Frittelli arte contemporanea gallery, Florence – and the Associazione Gianni Bertini, Milan, run by the artist’s son Thierry.
It brings together archived works produced by the artist over a period of sixty years. The selection was curated by Francesco Tedeschi together with Kevin McManus and Federica Boragina. It is a two-volume catalogue: the first volume is a monographic work comprising a text by Francesco Tedeschi that offers a completely new interpretation of the artist’s oeuvre and highlights the cutting-edge nature of his work during numerous phases of his career; a thorough exploration of Mec Art and its evolution authored by Kevin McManus; a new reading of Bertini’s non-pictorial output written by Federica Boragina; and, lastly, an in-depth biography of the artist by Myrna Galli, who is in charge of most of the archiving and cataloguing of his works. The second volume is the actual catalogue listing around 2400 works considered in relation to the different moments and aspects of his production, prefaced by historical-critical notes and an anthological selection of Bertini’s writings about his works.