recto verso exhibition at fondazione prada reveals the other side of art

 
recto verso exhibition at fondazione prada reveals the other side of art
roy lichtenstein | stretcher frame with vertical bar, 1968
image © designboom

recto verso
fondazione prada, milan
now through february 14, 2016

what happens when artists use the back side of their works as a canvas?

the simple gesture of flipping an object from front to back becomes, in fondazione prada‘s ‘recto verso’ exhibition, a reconsideration of the usual ways of seeing. the thematic show conceived for the milanese institution’s ‘nord’ gallery presents a selection of artworks that consciously emphasize the forgotten and overlooked presence of their reverse. western art traditions have mainly considered paintings as frontal (recto) artifacts, while the back (verso) carries significantly less cultural meaning, forever concealed from public view and visible only to the creators themselves or museum staff. 

roy lichtenstein | stretcher frame with vertical bar, 1968
photo by delfino sisto legnani studio, courtesy fondazione prada

expanding upon the theme of reversal and reveal, fondazione prada has suspended a number of pieces between the dividing walls, allowing visitors to circle around what is normally presented as two-dimensional and flat.

chosen artists from the past two centuries up until present-day embody this spirit by flipping the back to the front: for example, the trompe-l’œil effect — popularized by 18th-century flemish painters — is used to focus attention on the frame rather than the image. in these pieces, the reverse is represented through both the technique of painting, as in the case of louis-léopold boilly, roy lichtenstein and luca bertolo, and photography, as exemplified by gerard byrne, thomas demand, philippe gronon, matts leiderstam and ian wallace.  

exhibition view
image © designboom

the artists’ intentional revelation of non-visible content on the inverse of their work ranges from a message of protest shown by gastone novelli during the 1968 venice biennale (when he exhibited one of his paintings reversed) to the seemingly random inclusion of ephemera on the back of a canvas, seen in the work of llyn foulkes and giulio paolini. these hidden elements only become evident when the painting is turned around, calling into question the simultaneous importance of both the ‘recto’ and the ‘verso’. 

carla accardi | grande trasparente, 1976 | sicofoil on wooden stretcher
image © designboom

 
pierre toby | rwoney rose/düsseldorf and clean glass/black, 2008-10 | oil on glass and painting for block board
image © designboom 

a view into the exhibition
image © designboom 

giulio paolini | la decima musa, 1966 | three triangular canvas
image © designboom 

recto verso exhibition at fondazione prada reveals the other side of art
(left) giulio paolini | la decima musa, 1966 | three triangular canvas
(right) giulio paolini | alceo, 1960 | three triangular canvas
photo by delfino sisto legnani studio, courtesy fondazione prada 

louis cane | sol / mur, 1974 | spray on canvas
photo by delfino sisto legnani studio, courtesy fondazione prada

giulio paolini | antologia, 1974 | two stretched canvases and art shows invitations
photo by delfino sisto legnani studio, courtesy fondazione prada

giulio paolini | antologia, 1974 | two stretched canvases and art shows invitations
photo by delfino sisto legnani studio, courtesy fondazione prada 

giulio paolini | antologia, 1974 | detail
image © designboom

giulio paolini | antologia, 1974
image © designboom 

(left) alberto burri | plastica 8, 1963 | plastic and combustion
(right) alberto burri | plastica, 1962 | plastic and combustion on aluminum frame
photo by delfino sisto legnani studio, courtesy fondazione prada

(left) alberto burri | plastica, 1962 | plastic and combustion on aluminum frame
(right) alberto burri | plastica 8, 1963 | plastic and combustion
photo by delfino sisto legnani studio, courtesy fondazione prada

(left) gastone novelli | lutte, échec, nouvelle lutte, 1968 | mixed media on canvas
(right) pierre buraglio | châssis, 1974 | frame, nylon thread and paint
photo by delfino sisto legnani studio, courtesy fondazione prada

the marks that the artists leave on the back of a painting can be diverse in nature and their intentional revelation of non-visible content can vary: from the explicit message of protest shown by gastone novelli during the 1968 venice biennale, when he exhibited one of his paintings reversed.

dora maurer | overlapping no.8, 2008 | acrylic and canvas on board
image © designboom

michelangelo pistoletto | un libro, il lato letterario del quadro, 1970| 63 sentences written on the frames of  31 paintings
image © designboom 

michelangelo pistoletto | un libro, il lato letterario del quadro, 1970| detail
image © designboom 

 
michelangelo pistoletto | un libro, il lato letterario del quadro, 1970| detail
image © designboom 

 
a view into the exhibition  
image © designboom

luca bertolo | melanchonic landscape, 2014 | oil and achrylic on canvas
image © designboom

(left) matts leiderstam | kat. nr. 1356 (unknown unknown), 2014
(right) matts leiderstam | kat. nr. 0313 (unknown unknown), 2014
pigment prints on hahnemühle photo rag satin paper
photo by delfino sisto legnani studio, courtesy fondazione prada 

philippe gronon | verso n.38, nymphéas par claude monet
collection du musée d’art moderne de saint etienne, 2009 | pigment print
photo by delfino sisto legnani studio, courtesy fondazione prada

the thematic exhibition ‘recto verso’ presents artworks that consciously foreground the hidden, concealed or forgotten phenomenon of  ‘the back.‘ it was conceived by the fondazione prada thought council, whose current members are shumon basar, elvira dyangani ose, cédric libert and dieter roelstraete.