Manfredi Beninati Paintings
GALLERIA POGGIALI
Publication © 2017 Galleria Poggiali Text © Lorenzo Poggiali Images © Manfredi Beninati Poems © Manfredi Beninati All rights reserved No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system or trasmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of copyright holders and of the publisher. Paintings is published on the occasion of the exhibition Manfredi Beninati Paintings May 27, 2017 - September 9, 2017 Galleria Poggiali, Via della Scala 35/A - 29/Ar Via Benedetta, 3r 50123 Firenze T. +39 055 287748 F. +39 055 2729406 www.galleriapoggiali.com info@galleriapoggiali.com Editorial Coordination Lorenzo Poggiali Editing Lorenzo Poggiali Page layout Daniele Turchetto Press Office Marco Ferri, Prato Special thanks to: Carla Garofalo Daniele Turchetto Photo credits: Industrialfoto, Firenze We apologie if, due to reasons wholly beyond our control, some of the photo sources have not been listed.
CONTENTS
Walls 2015 - 2017
5 Other paintings 43 2010 - 2016 75 Some drawings 89 Usual conversation between Lorenzo and Manfredi 107 Biography 110
to the two lions, to Flavio and Leone
WALLS 2015 - 2017
Untitled, 2015 Oil on canvas, cm 120x150
Untitled, 2015 Oil on canvas, cm 150x120
Untitled, 2015 Oil on canvas, cm 150x120
Untitled, 2015 Oil on canvas, cm 150x120
Untitled, 2015 Oil on canvas, cm 120x110
Untitled, 2015 Oil on canvas, cm 110x110
Untitled (this stain is a moon), 2016 Oil on canvas, cm 150x110
Untitled, 2017 Oil on canvas, cm 200x160
Untitled, 2017 Oil on canvas, cm 200x160
Untitled, 2017 Oil on canvas, cm 150x120
Untitled, 2017 Oil on canvas, cm 200x133
Untitled, 2017 Oil on canvas, cm 200x133
Untitled, 2017 Oil on canvas, cm 200x133
Untitled, 2017 Oil on canvas, cm 200x133
Untitled, 2017 Oil on canvas, cm 200x288
Following pages: Untitled (details), 2017
Untitled, 2017 Oil on wood, cm 15,5x20 Untitled, 2017 Oil on wood, cm 15x21,5 (diptych)
Untitled, 2017 Oil on canvas, cm 200x160
Untitled, 2016 Oil on canvas, cm 70x60
Untitled, 2016 Oil on canvas, cm 200x160
Dad, I’ve told you many times, Where you’re running up and down There the ground is lined with mines! Why you always make me frown? You can’t tell tortoise from turtle, You cannot them even pronounce, Nor you know if the soil is fertile, Or if it’s rubble or even pounce. Here’s a booklet for you. So you’ll know how to do. It tells you everything I know. It tells you how to scare a crow. It tells you how to make a pie Without apples and with no rye. You are not listening to me... But this will be my final plea! Dad, I really want you to grow, Please, stop playing your silly show! BOOM!!! Dad, I’d warned you and now it’s too late. Well, I’ll make you a grave with slate. (Pasadena, 24 March 2017)
OTHER PAINTINGS
Untitled, 2015-2016 Oil on canvas, cm 50x50
Untitled, 2015-2016 Oil on canvas, cm 110x110
Untitled, 2016 Tempera on wood, cm 30x44 (diptych)
Untitled, 2015 Oil on wood, cm 42x30
Untitled, 2015 Oil on wood, cm 39,5x33
Untitled, 2015 Oil on wood, cm 30x21
Untitled, 2014 Oil on wood, cm 21x29
Untitled, 2015 Oil on wood, cm 30x21
Untitled, 2015 Oil on wood, cm 42x30
Untitled, 2017 Oil on wood, cm 20x60
Untitled, 2015 Oil on wood, cm 30x21
Untitled, 2015 Oil on wood, cm 30x21
Untitled, 2015 Oil on wood, cm 59x33
Untitled, 2015 Oil on wood, cm 30x21
Untitled, 2015-2016 Oil on canvas, cm 80x100
Untitled, 2015 Oil on canvas, cm 80x100
Untitled, 2012-2017 Oil on canvas, cm 160x200
I went down a dirty ditch And there I found a flashy bitch. She was floating in the water That was red, but also blue. She was clinging to a big floater And that made me think of you. A man there naked with a cup, Trying to reach the sinking pants, Heard me arrive an looked me up Then he dived and disappeared Like that Russian with long beard. You remember sure that day. When we couldn’t find the way. When we stopped in that small town And we hid in a dark alley While the troops were coming down, To disperse the comrades rally. Down the hill where we almost died And that now was lit by fire, A glare consuming all who cried For the things were getting dire. They comrades were in arms And died where today there are no farms. Only sand... (Pasadena, 19 March 2017)
2010 - 2016
Untitled, 2015 Oil on canvas, cm 150x120
Untitled, 2012/2013 Oil on canvas, cm 160x200
Untitled, 2013-2017 Oil on canvas, cm 160x200
Untitled, 2013-2017 Oil on canvas, cm 160x200
Untitled, 2013-2017 Oil on canvas, cm 200x160
Untitled, 2010-2015 Oil on canvas, cm 90x120
From the ocean came the fog That deleted all I’d seen. I had seen a giant bear And I had seen a little frog That was bringing love to her, From the castle where he had been. She was sitting on a chair that was rocking but not rolling. She was waiting for her love. But instead there came a dove. It was stained and was unfair. It was ugly and full of air. From the mountains came the fire That revealed what I’d ignored. It entirely ate the woods Where the bear had taken shelter. But he was caught in shiny wire, That was blazing red with heat. From the vault up there came thunders, And then followed also rocks That fell rolling, and then bounced. And made lowlands, like the Flanders, Which then split in many blocks Just as it had been announced. (Pasadena, 22 March 2017)
SOME DRAWINGS
Untitled, 2017 Pencil and coloured inks on washed paper on board, cm 62,5x50
Untitled, 2017 Pencil and coloured inks on washed paper on board, cm 53x64
Untitled, 2017 Pencil and coloured inks on washed paper on board, cm 51x60 In the back (image above) Untitled, 2017 Oil on wood, cm 51x60
Flavio e Palermo, 2003-2004 Pencil, acrylic gesso and pigments on Fabriano paper on wood, (4 panels) cm 300x250
Untitled (domenica 16 luglio 1975), 2010 Pencil, acrylic gesso and pigments on Fabriano paper on wood, (4 panels) cm 300x260
Untitled, 2010 Pencil, acrylic gesso and pigments on Fabriano paper on wood, (4 panels) cm 300x260
Untitled (domenica 14 agosto 1981), 2010 Pencil, acrylic gesso and pigments on Fabriano paper on wood, (4 panels) cm 300x260
Untitled (domenica 16 luglio 1974), 2010 Pencil, acrylic gesso and pigments on Fabriano paper on wood, (4 panels) cm 300x260
Usual conversation between Lorenzo and Manfredi
LORENZO POGGIALI
a bronze sculpture is an imperfect clone of the original. Painting, on the other hand, is what best reveals the mind and soul of the artist. Especially oil painting where, unlike watercolour for example, everything can be controlled. Even the most apparently insignificant detail, which can actually alter the entire equilibrium of a painting. In short, painting is art at its most pure and sincere. And this is what also makes it very complex to read, too complex for many people. People are by now accustomed to the swift and synthetic communication of advertising, of the various social media and even of the sensationalist art of recent decades. They are only willing to give their attention to painting that responds to these “requirements”. It has to be immediate. If Leonardo was a contemporary artist, he’d have to forget the Mona Lisa. The new icons are a stone on the ground or a piece of chewed gum stuck on a wall. Perhaps this is why I felt the need to devote myself to other forms, as well as painting (and drawing!). Installations, for example, are a way of communicating in a more direct and faster way with the public, since people understand their language more easily than that of painting.
LORENZO POGGIALI: An exhibition of paintings and a show unabashedly about painting. Finally, a clear stance that does not snub, undervalue or mystify this practice, but merely chooses it. Or rather, it actually clarifies the fact that doing quality painting is difficult, complicated and anything but banal. Have we perhaps lost the tools, the knack, the sensitivity to recognise quality painting? MANFREDI BENINATI: Well, I’ve always said that art is painting! And in fact I’ve done numerous shows of just painting. As you know full well, I like to diversify in my work, and in fact last year’s show displayed installations, sculptures, bas reliefs and lightboxes. All these works came about casually, spawned by our friendship consolidated over the summer in Pietrasanta. One could say that they were the work of more than two hands, since we collaborated with professional craftsmen, who actually produced almost all the works on show. It’s easy for anyone to understand why I say this in relation to the lightboxes, for instance. But maybe it’s a bit harder to grasp as regards the bronze sculptures. In fact, for someone who is not familiar with the procedure, it’s impossible to appreciate that there is a difference between the matrix sculpture created by the artist and the bronze “twin” that emerges from the casts. This difference is very clear to the professionals, and is substantial in perceptive terms since the different material frequently produces a very different aesthetic effect. Not to mention the fact that even the shapes can be altered while working the wax, the plaster casts etc. Finally, the alloy and the patina can also dramatically affect the result. In a word, in the best-case scenario
L. P.: So, a completely new show at the Galleria Poggiali: what are the novelties, the curiosities? M. B.: I conceived these paintings like walls on canvas, leading on from those displayed at the LOGO show. L. P.: What about your sentimental and artistic bonds with Florence: is there a place, a museum, a painter or a work you’re par-
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I hadn’t set foot for 5 or maybe 6 years, and I found that it has moved significantly towards the future compared to when I used to live there. Everyone in that city is transhumanist if not post (humanist).
ticularly fond of? M. B.: You know, don’t you? We’ve already talked in the past about my attachment to Florence. In effect it was like a bomb that suddenly exploded in my life, since I never knew Florence until 2015. Since then you know better than me how many times I’ve stayed at the Cavalieri. Countless! Not to mention Versilia and all the rest . . . By now, Florence is also something of a home to me, and for obvious reasons is more stimulating than Palermo in artistic terms. I would say that the late evening tour of Palazzo Vecchio that I made with Sergio Risaliti left an indelible mark on me.
L. P.: The group show Faith & Fathom has recently closed at the Poggiali gallery. Did it signify something in particular for you or not? M. B.: I really liked the show, as I already told you. A breath of fresh air in a place that has been closed up for too long. Zhivago Duncan did a really good job bringing together Slater Bradley, Tim Noble & Sue Webster and John Isaacs (who, as luck would have it, turns up again in the Madrid gallery that Milena works for too!).
L. P.: Future projects? M. B.: Lots. Shows, projects for installations all over the place . . . lots of things, too many to be summed up in just a few words.
L. P.: Is there a common theme in the new works displayed in this solo show PAINTINGS? How are they different from those of the recent or less recent past?
L. P.: As an artist, what show or artist would you recommend seeing or following up? M. B.: This one, or my next or the one after that.
M. B.: They are (almost) all walls. The whole thing began with the paintings displayed in 2015, and I think it will end here.
L. P.: You travelled a lot in the past, and have recently been in Los Angeles and in Mexico. What did this mean to you?
L. P.: What role does the foundation play in your activity as an artist? To what extent does it influence, or help?
M. B.: More than travelling, what I’ve done have almost always been sojourns . . . and in fact I’ve spent months or years in most of these places. I’ve been in Mexico frequently, even in recent years. My son Leone lived in Merida, and so... Now he’s going to school in Los Angeles, where
M. B.: In actual fact, the two things are in competition. Two separate lives.
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Manfredi Beninati is an artist and a librarian born in Palermo on the 11th day of January 1970, which makes him a capricorn. He has a simian line on his left palm only and his son Leone has Italian, Mexican and American citizenships. Manfredi has become an artist as a consequence of a bet with his beloved brother Flavio when he was already thirty but has since managed to gain international attention with shows in the United States, the UK, Argentina, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, Greece, Turkey, Japan, Italy and so on. Since his debut in 2003 he has been invited to participate in many biennials, triennials, quadriennials, such as Venice (2005 and 2009), Liverpool, Salonicco, Mardin, Istanbul, Athens and Shanghai, has received a few awards (Fulbright in 2006, Civitella Fellowship in 2012, Audience award for Italian pavillion at Venice Biennale in 2005 and Darc Prize in 2004, ...) and his work has become part of many prestigious collections (Zabludowicz of UK/USA, Logan of USA, Lodeveans of UK, MAXXI of Rome and UBS of Switzerland, ...) before he has decided - in 2012 - to take a long sabbatical to dedicate his time and efforts to a foundation and a library he set up in his hometown with his mother Carla Garofalo (a criminal lawyer just like his father Gaetano) in the memory of Flavio who died aged 33 in 2006. He was invited to exhibit at the MAXXI and the MACRO Museums in Rome, at the Hammer Museum of Los Angeles, at the Parrish Museum of Southampton, New York, Haidian Museum of Beijing and at Royal Academy of London. The galleries of Max Wigram in London, James Cohan in New York, Tomio Koyama in Tokyo and Lorcan O’Neill in Rome have run more than one solo show of his work. He came back to seriously making art in late 2015. He now shares his time between Palermo and Los Angeles where his next show is planned for next autumn. He now shares his time between Palermo and Los Angeles where his next show is planned for next autumn.
Manfredi Beninati, Self-portrait, 2007
Beninati and Galleria Poggiali He came into contact with the Galleria Poggiali in Florence in the course of 2015 in Rome when - during a conference at the MACRO museum - he was introduced to Lorenzo Poggiali by Alessandro Cucchi and his father Enzo - also represented by the gallery - who immediately found himself on Manfredi’s wavelength. This encounter led - in December 2015 - to the three-person exhibition LOGO that also included Laboratorio Saccardi, in Florence. Two other solo shows followed in Florence (Sunday 10 December 2039) and in Pietrasanta. PAINTINGS, 2016, is the Poggiali gallery’s fourth show with Manfredi Beninati.
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Untitled, 2017 Oil on wood, cm 29,7x21 Untitled, 2017 Oil on wood, cm 29,7x21
Untitled, 2017 Oil on wood, cm 42x29,7
Untitled, 2017 Oil on wood, cm 29,7x21
The catalogues of the Galleria Poggiali
3
Printing: Tap Grafiche, Poggibonsi Published in Italy in 2017 ISBN 978-88-6403-257-3
Euro 30,00 USD 33.50