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Dimensions: dimensions variable

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Provenance: Private Collection (acquired directly from the artist)
Sale: Sotheby's, London, 20th Century Italian Art, 25 October 2000, Lot 53
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

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Exhibited:

Turin, Galleria in Arco, Arte Povera, 1990, no. 4, illustrated twice, once on the back cover

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Notes: Executed in 1990.
This work is accompanied by a photo-certificate of authenticity signed by the artist In Grigi che si Alleggeriscono verso Oltremare (Greys fading towards ultramarine) Giovanni Anselmo explores the implications of gravity, a phenomenon which has been at the core of his investigation since the beginning of his artistic production. 'Grigio' indicates the stone; 'oltremare' evokes both the colour 'ultramarine' and the phrase 'in the distant sea', alluding to a dimension beyond our geographical world, from where, centuries ago, the mineral from which the ultramarine pigment was extracted, was brought to Europe. Placed in a relationship with the 'oltremare' (the blue paint on the wall), the 'grigio' fades towards a new dimension. Anselmo's oeuvre mirrored many of the principles of the Arte Povera movement, of which the artist is one of the most important representatives. His work breaks away from traditional notions of painting and sculpture, dealing with space, time and energy. Consequently for Anselmo, art is no longer a static, immobile entity, but a translation of the experiences of real life.