Antonio Papasso
Antonio Papasso is an Italian painter and engraver.
Biography
Papasso was born in Florence in 1932, as the second son of Giovanni and Aldina Lollini and the brother of Giovanna. In 1939–1940, the family moved to Viareggio. After the war Papasso worked for an electric utility.In the second half of the 1950s, he set up an appliance store in Viareggio. His interest in painting started at the beginning of 1968. He then attended evening classes on art history and decided to become a painter.
In 1970, he moved to Pisa and rented a farm-house, to work on action painting. He then met members of the new literary avant-garde Gruppo 63 and worked with Edoardo Sanguineti and.
In 1971–1972, he decided to undergo a test inspired by the aphorism "I’ve never seen colors fighting each other" by Picasso. He painted watercolors and figurative etchings, employing contrasting and harsh colors and signed them with the pseudonym of ANTIGONE. Some of these works are now in the collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France – Paris.
Papasso became frustrated with his work and stopped painting after producing a collection of five etchings called Genealogia.
In 1975, while he was printing Genealogia, he chanced on some crumpled paper.
...Papasso), starting from scratch, with a thin sheet of tissue paper crumpled repeatedly with the warmth of the hands, pursues a mode of germinal matter. He would like to add to his work the energy that erupts from its nature...
In 1978 the first papiers froissé were presented by Claudio Di Scalzo at Galleria 9 colonne in Trento. In 1979 they were exhibited and introduced by an essay by at Galleria Zarathustra in Milan and again in 1980 at the art gallery Greminger in Genoa. Alongside etchings and prints, Papasso continued to experience papiers froissé. In 1981 the historian Gillo Dorfles presented the last papiers froissés in Milan at Galleria Zarathustra together with the collection of original prints entitled Sing,
In the same year he moved to Anguillara Sabazia, on Lake Bracciano, in Rome's north area.
In 1982 Papasso issued a collection of seven color etchings called Respira accompanied by a triple acrostic by Edoardo Sanguineti, with credits by Riccardo Barletta, Fausto Curi, Luigi Ferrarino and a letter by MoMA. In 1983 this work was acquired by MoMA.
In 1983 the artist issued three color etchings called Storia written by Alfredo Giuliani. In the same year he produced six etchings Forma Naturae with an essay by Giulio Carlo Argan. In 1986 he published the collection called Una "mina" nella memoria accompanied by the poem Videogramma volteggio by Elio Filippo Accrocca. In 1989 he exhibited his works at the Charlton gallery in Rome with catalog presented for the second time by Gillo Dorfles.
Later he exhibited his works of art at Toninelli-Arte-Moderna in Rome and in 1993 Foire Internationale d'art Contemporain held at the Grand Palais in Paris.
In 1992 he published a collection of color etchings Promemoria-Pro/memoria accompanied by an essay by Edoardo Sanguineti.
In 1999 he exhibited a retrospective entitled Il colore è mio in Bracciano.
In 2004 Tommaso Lisa, member of the Italian Studies Department of the University of Florence, introduced Papasso in the book Pretesti Ecfrastici, collaborating with Sanguineti and other artists.
In 2005 Papasso was invited to exhibit a retrospective of his works at the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea La Sapienza University of Rome. The exhibition was accompanied by an essay, Antonio Papasso – il tutto e il niente edited by Claudio Di Scalzo. In 2006, Papasso was invited to exhibit all of his works from 1975 to 2006 at the Italian Air Force Museum in Bracciano. The exhibition was accompanied by Papasso's essay, Elogio del leggero, together with an appendix and a movie directed by Riccardo Barletta. Sanguineti contributed a poem dedicated to Papasso called Sonetto del foglio volante''.
Public Collections
Original prints, etchings and collected papiers froissés
- Papier froissé 1975 – BNF – Paris
- Genealogi 1975 – 5 etchings – Text by Aldo Cairola – Siena
- Cant 1981 – 6 color etchings in color, afterword by Dorfles – Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Rome – Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
- Respira 1982 – 7 etchings in color and triple acrostic by Edoardo Sanguineti – BNF, Paris; MoMA, New York• "RACCONTO" 1983 – 3 etchings taken from a poem by Alfredo Giuliani BNF – Paris
- Forma Naturae, 1984 – 6 etchings in color – text by Giulio Carlo Argan – BNF – Paris
- Una "mina" nella memoria 1986 – folder with 3 small papiers froissés – Poetry by Elio Filippo Accrocca – BNF – Paris
- Promemoria/Pro-Memoria 1987 –3 etchings in color – Acrostic Edoardo Sanguineti short – BNF – Paris
- Volo 2006-PAPIER FROISSÉ – Italian Air Force Museum – MUSAM – Vigna di Valle, -Bracciano,
- Effervescenza – – etching + papier froissé - BNF – Paris
- Volo 2006 – etching-acquatint + collage – BNF – Paris
- Volo – etching + acquatint + papier froissé – BNF – Paris
Prints of original figurative Antigone (pseudonim of Antonio papasso)
- Cavallo 1970/1975 – color etching and aquatint – BNF – Paris.
- Cavalli In Corsa 1992 – color etching and aquatint – BNF – Paris.
- Mucche Al Pascolo 1970/1975 – color etching and aquatint – BNF – Paris.
- Tra Le Dune 1975 – color etching and aquatint – BNF – Paris.
- Cavallo 1976 – color etching and aquatint – BNF – Paris.
- Cavalli 1980 – color etching and aquatint – BNF – Paris.
- Cavalli A Lago 1970/1997 – color etching and aquatint – BNF – Paris.
Selected exhibitions
- 1975, Gallery "il Salotto", Como.
- 1976, "Municipal schools", Vecchiano.1977, Gallery "Metastasio", Prato.
- 1978, Gallery "9 Colonne", Trento.
- 1979, Gallery "Zarathustra", Milano. •1980, Gallery "Greminger", Genova.
- 1981, "City of Montignoso", Massa
- 1981, "Alternative Museum Remo Brindisi", Spina.
- 1982, "Gallery Zarathustra", Milano.
- 1984, "European Triennale of Engraving", Grado, Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
- 1985, "International Biennial of Engraving ", Ljubljana.
- 1988, Gallery "Forum", Hamburg; Gallery "Vigadò", Budapest.
- 1989, Gallery "Charlton", Rome.
- 1992, "Toninelli Modern Art", Rome
- 1992, "Toninelli Modern Art"; FIAC, Grand Palais, Parigi.
- 1993, "Toninelli Arte Moderna", Rome; SAGA Grand Palais, Parigi.
- 1994, "Palais des Festivals", Cannes.
- 1995, "Arte Jonction", Cannes. •1999, "Town Hall", Bracciano.
- 2004, "University of Florence" – Department of Italian Art
- 2005, "Museo Contemporary Art of the La Sapienza", Rome;
- 2006, "Italian Air Force Museum", Vigna di Valle, Bracciano.
Images