Michelangelo Pistoletto has been named an honorary citizen of Palermo. The city’s mayor, Leoluca Orlando, in presenting the honor, pointed out that the artist has succeeded in “synthesizing in a single, extraordinary work of art, the cohesion and syncretism of different peoples overlooking a single sea, a symbol of union and brotherhood.” With this statement, Orlando is referring to Pistoletto’s work "Love Difference," or the mirror table entrusted to Palermo Italian Capital of Culture, which will remain on display at the Fondazione Sant’Elia headquarters until Jan. 10, 2019, with an installation curated by Paolo Falcone, artistic director of the Sambuca Foundation.
Pistoletto, on the other hand, said, “I already felt like a citizen of Palermo, it is the city where you never feel like a foreigner. The mirror for me represents the infinite present, that is, it does not possess its own identity, but reflects those who approach. Today it is necessary to think of art not as an individual act, but as something that is done together.”
Born in Biella on June 25, 1933, Pistoletto learned the rudiments of art at the age of 14, when he worked in the studio of his father, an artist and restorer, and then attended Armando Testa’s school of advertising graphics. In the 1950s he began his work as an artist beginning with a series of self-portraits, while in 1962 he developed his famous Mirror Paintings technique, which is based on preparing canvases with a metal primer and then on mirror-polished steel surfaces.
Pistoletto’s artworks have been exhibited or shown to the public in various cities inItaly and around the world such as Rome, Paris, Madrid and New York.
Michelangelo Pistoletto an honorary citizen of Palermo |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.