The Pinault Foundation will have two concurrent exhibitions set to coincide with the Venice Biennale this May: “Martial Raysee” at Palazzo Grassi and “Slip of the Tongue” at Punta della Dogana. It’s a pair of firsts for the foundation since the former will be the first monographic exhibition outside of France dedicated to the French painter Martial Raysee since 1965, and the latter will be the first artist-curated show at Punta della Dogana to date.
Curated by Caroline Bourgeois in close collaboration with the artist, “Martial Raysee” will feature over 300 paintings, sculptures, videos and neon works made from 1958 to the present, nearly half of which have never been exhibited to the public, including a few new works in progress. Raysee was one of the founding members of the New Realism movement of the 1960s alongside such figures as art critic Pierre Restany and artists Jean Tinguely and Yves Klein. He quickly became a member of the European avant-garde; however, participating in the Art of Assemblage exhibition at MOMA in 1961. This non-chronological exhibition promises to offer a new perspective on Raysee’s work by presenting its simultaneous unity and diversity over time.
Showing simultaneously at Punta della Dogana will be “Slip of the Tongue,” a group show guest curated by artist Danh Vō. The exhibition will investigate the processes of “conservation, circulation, trade, dismemberment, dispersal, tinkering, restoration, collecting and exhibiting” not merely as they relate to the well being of a work, but instead as integral parts of its history and materiality. Historical pieces from Venetian institutions such as the Accademia Gallery and the Institute of Art History of Giorgio Cini Foundation demonstrate the metamorphoses, and often the damage inflicted by the practices meant to maintain or reimagine pieces of art. The show will feature works by both modern and contemporary artists including Nairy Baghramian, Nancy Spero, Julie Ault, Fischli & Weiss, Pablo Picasso, Sturtevant, Sigmar Polke, and Auguste Rodin.
Both exhibitions are open through December 31, 2015.
