kostabi in rome, chiostro del bramante (book)

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kostabi in rome, chiostro del bramante (book) by Vittorio Sgarbi, Luca Beatrice. Editions Cudemo. 2006. Exhibition catalogue. 190 pages. Softcover. Very good condition. Book in Italian but the works are subtitled in English. (few texts)

A scathing critique of our civilisation, that of Mark Kostabi (lives in Rome and New York), who nevertheless has the particularity of adopting a surprising point of view. Looking from the same social context at the defects and distortions that characterise it, a perspective well highlighted by the impressive corpus of 150 works that wind along the low corridors of the Cloister of Bramante.

In his work, the emergence of these problems does not occur so much on the basis of a peremptory judgement, but rather through the overcoming of an individual’s threshold of tolerance.

The stated aim, however, is to transform the absurdities and paradoxes induced by the system into creative energy and a universal communication tool, using, for this purpose, a non-rational language. Rather, it refers to the myth of Kostabi – war, love, good and evil, but also to the absolute authority of the great painters of the past, who emerge in his paintings with precise and insistent references – and exploits an extraordinary and acrobatic visionary.

Mark Kostabi was born in 1960 to Estonian immigrant parents. He studied drawing and painting at California State University, Fullerton, then moved to New York in 1982. In 1984, he established himself as one of the major figures of the now legendary East Village art scene.

By 1987, his work was exhibited widely in New York and other American galleries, as well as in the United States, Japan, Germany, and Australia. In the 1990s, his work was exhibited widely throughout Italy, and he began to divide his time between Rome and New York.

Kostabi is also known for his many collaborations with other artists, including Enzo Cucchi, Arman, Howard Finster, Tadanori Yokoo, Enrico Baj, and Paul Kostabi.

His permanent public works include a mural at the Palazzo dei Priori in Arezzo, Italy, a large bronze sculpture in the central square of San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy, and a bronze portrait of Pope John Paul II in Velletri, Italy.

Feel free to check out the additional photos at the top left, thank you!

If you prefer to pay in euros, =before= you start ordering, you must click on the word “Français” in orange, under the main photo above, which will redirect you to the same description in French and payment in Euros.