In Padua, lights and shadows of the United States through 120 artists and 130 works

From Sept. 13, 2023 to Jan. 21, 2023, the Centro Culturale Altinate San Gaetano in Padua presents the exhibition American Beauty, curated by Daniel Buso and organized by ARTIKA in collaboration with Kr8te and the City of Padua.

On display will be a selection of 130 works through which it is intended to recount the lights and shadows of the United States. American Beauty is the name of a marvelous red rose created in France, which, when exported to the United States, became the most widespread rose on the North American continent, as well as the symbolic flower of the city of Washington. It was the petals of this rose that greeted the naked body of Angela Hayes in the very popular film of the same name. American Beauty is a magnificent yet fragile rose. Its petals endure long before withering, while the stem quickly rots: an effective metaphor for U.S. society and its obvious and hidden contradictions.

Offering this portrait of the United States are 120 artists, American and otherwise, with 130 works.

It is photography that introduces the visitor to the reading of the triumphant and decadent U.S. universe. It starts in black and white, with masters such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Diane Arbus and Elliott Erwitt, and moves on to the color images of Steve McCurry, Vanessa Beecroft and Annie Leibovitz.

From room to room, the itinerary welcomes works by the masters of Pop Art (James Rosenquist, Robert Indiana and Andy Warhol) to the protagonists of Street Art: Keith Haring, Mr. Brainwash, Obey and Banksy. From Joe Rosenthal ’s famous propaganda image (extolling the American victory at Iwo Jima over Japan in 1945), to the anarchist uprisings in Banksy’s murals.

The sections, identified by curator Daniel Buso, address some of the most important themes to go deep into the analysis of American culture and society. The beginning of the exhibition is dedicated to patriotism, the American flag being the symbol par excellence called upon to represent the typically American nationalistic attachment. A feast of color and black-and-white images taken by great international photographers, all engaged in capturing the hundreds of public or private displays of American patriotism. The exhibition goes on to try to sketch the complicated international relationships woven over the past hundred years by the United States. Starting from its participation in World War II to its more recent experiences in Afghanistan and Iran.

Another focus of the exhibition examines the United States and the conflicts that take place not only thousands of miles away but also within its domestic walls. Several artists, including Banksy and Paul Insect immortalize an America in turmoil, shaken by urban guerrilla warfare and the indiscriminate use of firearms; Steve McCurry chronicles the most tragic day for Americans: September 11, 2001. The exhibition also reserves space for the most current issue in the social debate: Black Lives Matter.

American Beauty explores some aspects central to understanding the contradictions that run through the U.S. superpower. A tight narrative intended to give voice to some of the absolute protagonists of international art.

“We chose to start with the image that perhaps more than any other expresses the American spirit,” the curator explains, “that is the moment when a group of marines raise the flag at Iwo Jima, in Joe Rosenthal’s photograph. The image was a great success globally, although some background questioned its authenticity. The photograph was soon employed for propaganda purposes while Rosenthal was awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize.”

Image: Keith Haring, American Music Festival (1988)

In Padua, lights and shadows of the United States through 120 artists and 130 works

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