EDDart is proud to present, from October 27 to December 5, an unprecedented exhibition by Mario Schifano featuring his only series of carpets alongside the paintings created for their realization.
In a moment of renewed happiness in the early 1980s, a group of friends suggested that Mario Schifano produce carpets based on some of his most iconic works. These included Maurizio Romano, an entrepreneur in the textile field; his wife Franca Mayer, who specialized in embroidery production; and Gianni Michelagnoli, a close friend and profound connoisseur of the artist’s work. Initially, the idea of placing his paintings “on the floor” made Schifano hesitant, but enthusiasm soon took over, and the only real issue became the long waiting time, as Franca Mayer herself recounts in the catalogue interview. This led to the production of five carpets derived from five corresponding series by Schifano: Albero per terra, Notte per terra, Cielo per terra, Gigli d’acqua per terra, and Orto botanico per terra.
Precious for their extraordinary aesthetic achievement, the carpets also illuminate a particularly creative decade for Schifano. As Massimo d’Alessandro—architect, collector, and close friend of the artist—writes in the catalogue: “The 1980s perhaps mark one of the most important periods in Schifano’s life. In 1984 he turned fifty; he experienced a great love with a woman, Monica, who in 1985 gave him a son, Marco. Schifano was well, completely absorbed by the adventure of fatherhood. At times, at great speed, he masterfully scribbled over the thousands of photographs he took of the world he observed through stacks of television sets piled up in his homes (cf. Venice Biennale 1993). He constructed paintings around fragments of toys he gave daily to his son, rediscovered great energies within himself, and resumed working frequently on large-scale themes—beautiful paintings that criticism has perhaps only partially absorbed to this day.”
The catalogue includes previously unpublished photographic documentation, a text by Massimo d’Alessandro, and an interview with Franca Mayer. The exhibition is realized in collaboration with the Archivio Mario Schifano, Rome.