P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center

MoMA

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Gino De Dominicis

October 19, 2008 - February 9, 2009

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center is proud to announce the first major American museum exhibition of the Italian artist Gino De Dominicis, presented in P.S.1's first floor Main Gallery and basement Vault, with additional works concurrently on view in Here is Every. Four Decades of Contemporary Art in the Contemporary Galleries of The Museum of Modern Art. 

An Italian artist who purposely shrouded himself in mystery and stood apart from popular artistic trends, De Dominicis exhibited very little in North America. He worked in a variety of mediums including sculpture, painting, film, and installation. This exhibition focuses primarily on the paintings the artist made in the 1980s and '90s, as he considered this art form the pinnacle of visual expression. Important historical works such as Palla, 1970, will be included, as well as D'IO, 1971, an audio recording of an actor's laugh. The exhibition also features drawing, as well as sculptural works on wood, paper, and in a few cases, canvas.
 
De Dominicis' paintings are figurative and often produced using materials as basic as tempera and pencil on board. Concentrating on the human figure, De Dominicis often referenced mythical and epic leaders like Gilgamesh, the Sumerian king who sought immortality, and Urvashi, the Hindu Veda goddess of beauty. De Dominicis' paintings convey notions of immortality, beauty, and esotericism. A mysterious element pervades these works as the figures undergo various facial and bodily compressions: noses, eyes, mouths, and eyebrows are elongated and occasionally become fine fissures, while surreal imagery such as tiny fork-like hands and beak-like crania are paired with out-of-proportion arms, torsos, and legs. For Gino De Dominicis, painting performed a primary and extraordinary function, reaffirming the legacy of the artist as a powerful and creative force.

Gino De Dominicis was born in 1947 in Ancona, Italy and lived in Rome until his death in 1998. He had many solo exhibitions, including Galleria L’Attico, Rome, Italy (1970, 1971, 1974); Galleria Pieroni, Roma (1979); Galleria Pio Monti, Rome (1977, 1980); Galleria Toselli, Milan (1995); Galleria Mazzoli, Modena (1998);  Palazzo Taverna, Rome, Italy (1972, 1977); Galleria Lia Rumma, Naples, Italy (1988); The Murray and Isabella Rayburn Foundation, New York, NY (1989); Centre National d’Art Contemporaine, Grenoble, France (1990); His work has been included in group shows, including Biennale Internatzionale della Giovane Pittura, Bologna, Italy (1970); VII Biennale de Paris, Parc Floral de Paris, Bois de Vincennes, Paris (1971) ; Documenta V, Kassel, Germany (1972); 8th Biennale de Paris, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville et Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris (1973); Italy two: Art around ’70, Museum of Philadelphia Civic Center, Philadelphia (1973); Prospectretrospect Europe 1946-1976, Stadtische Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf, Germany (1976); 40th Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy (1980); Identité italienne, l’art en Italie depuis 1959, Centre George Pompidou, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris (1981);Fiera d’Arte Contemporanea Internazionale, Milan, Italy (1988); 44th Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy (1990); 45th Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy (1995); 47th Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy (1997).

 

Organized by P.S.1 Director Alanna Heiss, P.S.1 Curatorial Advisor Andrea Bellini, Professor of Art History at the Brera Academy of Milan and Curator of the Contemporary Art Program at the National Graphic Institute of Rome Laura Cherubini, P.S.1 Manager of Curatorial Affairs Christopher Y. Lew, P.S.1 Registrar Summer Kemick, and exhibition assistants Beatrice Johnson, Tim Goossens, Kate McNamara, Sarah Scandiffio, and Paola Ugolini.

The exhibition is made possible by the Province of Ancona, David Teiger, Isabella del Frate Rayburn, and Maria Rosa and Gilberto Sandretto.

 Additional funding is provided by The Italian Cultural Institute, The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, the Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu Collection, New York, and Il Gattopardo.