Jannis Kounellis

by Angela Schneider, Marc Scheps, Jannis Kounellis (Artist)

In 1969, Greek-born Jannis Kounellis famously exhibited 11 live horses at Rome's Galleria l'Attico. Kounellis, who has been living in Rome since the beginning of his career, is a pioneer of the Arte Povera movement, which originated in Italy in the mid-60s and is characterized by antiestablishment media (like street theater) and antielitist materials (like rope, rocks and discarded metal). Kounellis preferred dirt, fire, gold, burlap sacks, smoke and coffee grounds--to name a few of the substances that gradually appeared in his sculptures and installations. In 2002, Kounellis created his masterwork, "Labyrinth," a monumental installation composed of 143 eight-foot-tall vertical iron panels surrounded by a layer of coal. Viewers can walk through to encounter traces of Kounellis' past burlap sacks, an iron cot, coffee grounds. Like a trip through "Labyrinth," this comprehensive monograph contributes richly to the understanding of Kounellis' influential 40-year career.

240 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2008