Paper Media: Boetti Calzolari Kounellis

"Paper Media", the catalog accompanying the exhibition at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, is the first scholarly publication in the United States shedding light on the specific practice of drawing and printmaking in Italian art from the 1960s to the 1980s. The book focuses on a selection of rarely seen works on paper by Alighiero Boetti, Pier Paolo Calzolari, and Jannis Kounellis of the highest quality from the collection of Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu, most of which are exhibited for the first time. Focusing on the work of three leading figures associated with the group of Arte Povera, the book provides an insightful perspective on the development of the drawing and printmaking practice by those artists throughout the decades. Elaborating on early sources of the interest in drawing by the network of critics and dealers promoting the avant-garde at that time, the introductory essay expands on broader issues of materiality, authorship, and remediation defining the Italian disegno as compared to American drawing. Detailed descriptions of each piece follow the essay, providing complete information on the provenance and history of the works, as well as addressing the specific approach that Boetti, Calzolari, and Kounellis chose to reassess the medium of drawing within their practice. A conversation with the collectors Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu finally records major events defining their life as collectors and lovers of Arte Povera, their highly cultural mission, and their specific interest in collecting works on paper.