Marisa Merz
Encyclopedia
Marisa Merz is an Italian sculptor, widow of artist
Mario Merz
. She now lives in Milan.
who was studying there, and they later got married. They have a daughter, Beatriz (Bea) Merz.
In 2001 she was awarded the Biennale di Venezia Award for lifetime achievement.
. Although in the 1970s she didn't have exhibitions often, in 1970 she had her second solo exhibition in Rome
. This exhibition featured installations made by using knitted copper, under the title of Ad occhi chiusi gli occhi sono straordinariamente aperti ('To closed eyes, the eyes are extraordinarily open').
Her work displays many of the fundamental issues wiith which Arte Povera artists are preoccupied, such as organic forms, focus on subjectivity, the use of lower forms of art, such as the crafts, and the relationship between art and life. Marisa's work has been described as lyrical, subtle, visionary and private.
She often includes aspects of crafts and practices traditionally associated with women (e.g. knitting), and she often uses materials such as copper, aluminium, waxed paper and paraffin wax, which reflected her home environment. Her installations feature the idea of the home as a place intimate, private and feminine. An example is her 1966 installation, Untitled (Living Sculpture),
which was intended both her home and to be presented in a gallery (she once said 'There has never been any division between my life and my work'). The installation consisted of thin strips of aluminium, clipped and suspended from the ceiling, forming coils and spirals. The work was acquired by Tate Modern
in 2009.
At the Venice Biennale of 1988 she had site-specific installations involving amorphous and coloured wax heads.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Mario Merz
Mario Merz
Mario Merz was an Italian artist, and husband of Marisa Merz.-Life:Born in Milan, Merz started drawing during World War II, when he was imprisoned for his activities with the Giustizia e Libertà antifascist group. He experimented with a continuous graphic stroke–not removing his pencil point from...
. She now lives in Milan.
Life
Marisa Merz was born in Turin, Italy in 1931. In the 1950s she met Mario MerzMario Merz
Mario Merz was an Italian artist, and husband of Marisa Merz.-Life:Born in Milan, Merz started drawing during World War II, when he was imprisoned for his activities with the Giustizia e Libertà antifascist group. He experimented with a continuous graphic stroke–not removing his pencil point from...
who was studying there, and they later got married. They have a daughter, Beatriz (Bea) Merz.
In 2001 she was awarded the Biennale di Venezia Award for lifetime achievement.
Work
In 1967, for her first solo exhibition, Marisa made a folded aluminium foil installation. She was also one of the people involved in the Arte Povera + Azione Povera exhibition the following year in AmalfiAmalfi
Amalfi is a town and comune in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno, c. 35 km southeast of Naples. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto , surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery...
. Although in the 1970s she didn't have exhibitions often, in 1970 she had her second solo exhibition in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. This exhibition featured installations made by using knitted copper, under the title of Ad occhi chiusi gli occhi sono straordinariamente aperti ('To closed eyes, the eyes are extraordinarily open').
Her work displays many of the fundamental issues wiith which Arte Povera artists are preoccupied, such as organic forms, focus on subjectivity, the use of lower forms of art, such as the crafts, and the relationship between art and life. Marisa's work has been described as lyrical, subtle, visionary and private.
She often includes aspects of crafts and practices traditionally associated with women (e.g. knitting), and she often uses materials such as copper, aluminium, waxed paper and paraffin wax, which reflected her home environment. Her installations feature the idea of the home as a place intimate, private and feminine. An example is her 1966 installation, Untitled (Living Sculpture),
which was intended both her home and to be presented in a gallery (she once said 'There has never been any division between my life and my work'). The installation consisted of thin strips of aluminium, clipped and suspended from the ceiling, forming coils and spirals. The work was acquired by Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
in 2009.
At the Venice Biennale of 1988 she had site-specific installations involving amorphous and coloured wax heads.
Links
- List of works
- List of exhibitions
- Tate Modern: Marisa Merz
- GroveArt: Marisa Merz
- ULAN Entries: Marisa Merz
- Sydney Biennale
- Tate Modern: Marisa Merz
- Recensione della mostra Marisa Merz. Non corrisponde eppur fiorisce (Venezia, 1 giugno - 18 settembre 2011)