by Redazione 05/11/2026
Categories: Exhibitions / Disclaimer
From November 11, 2026, to February 6, 2027, the Mazzoleni Gallery presents an exhibition dedicated to the relationship between matter and language in the artist’s work. The exhibition focuses on works created in ciré in 1967 and 1968, artist’s books, and a selection of poetic texts, in an exhibition curated in collaboration with the Bonalumi Archive.
The work of Agostino Bonalumi (Vimercate, 1935 – Desio, 2013) will be the focus of the exhibition *Agostino Bonalumi. Certain Streets in Manhattan, scheduled at the Mazzoleni Gallery in Milan from November 11, 2026, to February 6, 2027. The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Bonalumi Archive, explores the relationship between material and language in the artist’s work, creating a dialogue between a selection of works created in ciré between 1967 and 1968 and his poetic texts. The exhibition’s title is taken directly from a quote in one of Bonalumi’s writings from 1966.
His experimentation with ciré is linked to the artist’s trips to New York in 1966, on the occasion of two group exhibitions, and to his subsequent solo exhibition , *Agostino Bonalumi. Painting-Constructions*, organized at the Bonino Gallery. During those years, the design and fashion industries were experiencing a growing use of plastic materials. In this context, Bonalumi turned to ciré, a waxed fabric characterized by a compact, glossy, and reflective surface, and began experimenting with its properties and expressive potential.
The new material temporarily replaced traditional canvas in his so-called “painting-objects,” as evidenced by *Giallo* from 1968. Ciré’s ability to amplify the relationship between light and volume also made it possible to accentuate the physical presence of the protrusions, as in the case of *Arancione*, also from 1968. This was a limited period, unfolding mainly between 1967 and 1968, but marked by numerous exhibitions in Italy and abroad. It represents one of the most original phases of Bonalumi’s career and contributed to the consolidation of his presence on the international art scene.
In the years that followed, the artist returned to using ciré only on rare occasions, primarily for artist’s books and editions produced in the 2000s. In this vein, the exhibition will feature the volume *Sotto la camicia di perla* by Sebastiano Grasso, published in 2007, for which Bonalumi created the covers using ciré. This exemplifies the open nature of his artistic practice, in which different techniques and artistic languages could interact.
The exhibition also includes a selection of artist’s books featuring Bonalumi’s works, poems, and writings. Among these are *Luna Celtica* (1992) and *Cantiere aperto* (1999–2000). Also available for viewing will be *Contemporanea*, the artist’s latest poetry collection, dating from 2013. The volume was conceived alongside the 2012 *Arancione* multiples: a series of 75 works in ciré created to accompany the limited edition of the collection.
“I was certainly influenced by a wide range of objects produced by technology—not by any specific object, but by this sense of objectivity,” said Agostino Bonalumi.
“My father wrote extensively from the very beginning of his career, especially on art theory,” stated Fabrizio Bonalumi. “I feel I can say that he found in poetry a sort of counterpoint to his work in the visual arts. His work has always been characterized by a very strong rationality; in poetry, he rediscovered a certain pictorial quality.”
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| Agostino Bonalumi: An Exhibition in Milan Featuring His "Painting-Objects" in Ciré and His Poetic Texts |
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