The year 2004 marked the last major exhibition of Pino Pascali (1935-1968) at Castel Sant’Elmo in Naples, curated by Angela Tecce. Since then, the extensive works of this pivotal Italian artist of the latter half of the 20th century have scarcely been seen. Now, the Prada Foundation in Milan, under the curation of Marc Goffrey, has undertaken the task of congregating nearly fifty of his works across four floors. These works, fragile and geographically scattered, have been challenging to exhibit.
The first segment partially replicates the presentation of the four solo exhibitions held during the brief span of Pascali’s life from 1965 to 1968 (he died in a motorcycle accident in Rome in September 1968, aged 33).
This original proposition showcases the various contrasting moments that make Pascali’s sculptures so distinct: from early works imbued with a Pop spirit (Omaggio a Billie Holiday (Labbra rosse), Colosseo, 1964) to later dreamlike creations in steel wool (Il Ponte, La Trappola, 1968), through his fake weapons (Mitragliatrice, Missile ‘Colomba della Pace’, 1965) and white ghostly animal sculptures (La decapitazione delle giraffe, Il dinosauro riposa, 1965). These works defy traditional sculptural challenges and establish the concept of “finta scultura” (“fake sculpture”), core to Pascali’s oeuvre.
The transition from one series to another indicates the artist’s continuous exploration of materials. The exhibition delves deeper into this theme in its second part, showcasing the use of new sculptural materials (Eternit, plastic, synthetic fur, etc.). Pascali relished these materials, as he reminisced to art critic Marisa Volpi Orlandini in 1968 in the dialect of Bari for the magazine Marcatré (“I’m like a snake, I shed my skin every year. I don’t throw away my skin, but I use it for everything”), indicating a way of showing the metamorphosis of his works.
Another part of the exhibition contrasts some of the artist’s works, such as the water installation 32 mq di mare circa (1967), unfortunately, a replica in the exhibition, with the original, restored a few years ago and preserved at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, or Vedova Blu (a giant spider dressed in electric blue synthetic fur) with iconic photos of the artist amusing himself by interacting with his works. This “guitto spirit” – a term used by Pascali’s friend Piero Gilardi (1942-2023) to describe his lively, theatrical spirit – is generally lacking in the exhibition, which tends to diminish the artist’s extraordinary creativity within the international aesthetic setting of Studio 2×4. The works should have been presented in a more vivid, sensitive manner, for instance, directly confronting the outdoor with films reenacting some sculptures by Pino Pascali, like Luca Patella’s SKMP2 (1968); all of which highlight how inseparable art and life were for the artist.
