Mimmo Rotella & Friends

Twenty years after his death, Mimmo Rotella (Catanzaro, October 7, 1918 - Milan, January 8, 2006) is hailed as one of the most innovative and influential figures in twentieth-century art. After graduating from the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples and moving to Rome in 1945, Rotella embarked on a process of experimentation that led, in 1953, to what he himself described as a veritable "Zen enlightenment": the discovery of the advertising poster as an art form. This revelation gave rise to décollage, a technique opposed to collage, based not on addition but on subtraction and tearing, by which he removed posters from city walls, reassembled them in his studio, tore them up further by hand or with tools, then applied them to various supports such as canvas, wood or sheet metal. His works are held in the world's greatest museums and collections, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Throughout his career, Rotella took part in the 1964 Venice Biennale, as well as other international exhibitions. In 1960, he joined the Nouveau Réalisme movement, founded by art critic Pierre Restany, which brought together artists such as Yves Klein, Spoerri, Tinguely, César, Arman, Christo and Niki de Saint Phalle. The exhibition "Mimmo Rotella & Friends", presented at NEO art & culture lab x VogelART in Nice, is a tribute organized by Gregor Hildebrandt, an internationally renowned artist represented by the prestigious Almine Rech and Perrotin galleries, and a great admirer of Rotella's work. The exhibition is presented as a dialogue between Rotella's works and those of contemporary artists who embrace, reinterpret or critically question his legacy, creating a space of resonance between past and present. At the heart of the "Mimmo Rotella & Friends" exhibition are Rotella's décollages, in dialogue with the works of fourteen internationally renowned artists. "Mimmo Rotella & Friends" is not just a tribute to a historic figure; it is a vibrant space of resonance between past and present. It demonstrates how Rotella's artistic vision remains alive and continues to shape contemporary visual art and culture by offering a profound and open interpretation of his legacy. The exhibition has been developed in close collaboration with the Rotella family and is being held in Nice, a city with which the master had a special bond.