Turi Simeti at De Buck Gallery

De Buck Gallery is pleased to announce its representation of Italian artist Turi Simeti. A prominent member of the Italian branch of the Zero movement alongside artists such as Lucio Fontana and Enrico Castellani, Simeti has been exploring variations of simple arrangements of ovals in monochromatic shaped canvases since the 1960s. His recent work builds upon his now decades-long commitment to exploring these geometric patterns that seem to dance across the surfaces of his paintings, reiterating the simplicity and “silence” sought after by Zero artists worldwide. Simeti’s body of work attests to his interest in eliminating the hand of the artist while instead emphasizing the physical presence of the artwork, and represents a key breakthrough in the broader field of minimalism. Turi Simeti’s work has been exhibited worldwide over the last fifty years, and is included in prominent collections, such as the MAM (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), the Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bolzano (Italy), and the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum (Ludwigshafen, Germany). 

The historical significance of Simeti’s work is particularly timely in light of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s current exhibition, Italian Futurism, 1909-1944: Reconstructing the Universe, which examines a vital period in the history of 20th century art and the direct precursor of the Zero movement that would overtake Italy in the postwar period. Furthermore, the museum will host an upcoming exhibition, opening in October 2014, dedicated to the global significance of the Zero movement itself.