Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

November 26, 2016 to January 28, 2017
Antonio Calderara, Sol LeWitt

„Spazio, luce, colore luce, luce. L’uomo, il suo limite il suo essere finito nell’infinito.“
(Space, light, color light, light. Man, his limits, his finitude in the infinite.)

The small volume ‘Pagine’ – published bilingually in Munich in 1973 – contains the notations of the painter Antonio Calderara and intensely and exquisitely conveys his thinking and thoughts on art. Life and art reveal themselves as a unity, the activity of the painter, the experience with his own works, but also with the works of other contemporary artists provide him with insights and stabilize views, which became the foundation of a quiet yet demanding life’s work.

The show of paintings and watercolors in our gallery reflects how our encounters with his painting and our exhibitions with Antonio Calderara go back to the year 1969 and how his friendship, generosity and support were a great help and major encouragement for us at the time as young gallerists. His works are an important part of our aesthetic biography and they have accompanied and engaged us for decades. The precision of artistic intentions, the wonderful congruence of invention and execution, of pictorial means and pictorial object, form the great qualities of this utterly unique body of painting.

Our present exhibition, modest in the number of exhibits, refers to two important museum presentations in the Italian and German speaking regions of Switzerland. Taking two different approaches to honoring the artist’s rich and differentiated oeuvre, these presentations serve as meaningful complements to one another.

At MASI Lugano, an extensive retrospective opens on January 22, 2017, compiled and curated by Elio Schenini.

From February 11 to April 30, 2017, Kunstmuseum Winterthur will host another exhibition, which has been prepared with great passion and care by Simona Ciuccio.

We are pleased to see the well-deserved attention being given to the work of an artist whose greatness is superbly achieved within a small pictorial format. The two exhibitions are each accompanied by a separate catalog.

Installation views

 				Antonio Calderara,  				Sol LeWitt, Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

Installation view

 				Antonio Calderara,  				Sol LeWitt, Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

Installation view room 2

 				Antonio Calderara,  				Sol LeWitt, Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

Installation view room 2

 				Antonio Calderara,  				Sol LeWitt, Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

Installation view room 3

 				Antonio Calderara,  				Sol LeWitt, Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

Installation view room 3

 				Antonio Calderara,  				Sol LeWitt, Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

Installation view office room

 				Antonio Calderara,  				Sol LeWitt, Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

Installation view office room

 				Antonio Calderara,  				Sol LeWitt, Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

Installation view office room

 				Antonio Calderara,  				Sol LeWitt, Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

Installation view room 1

 				Antonio Calderara,  				Sol LeWitt, Antonio Calderara (1903–1978)

Installation view room 4

Works

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Still life (apple and banana)  1926                           35 x 45 cm Oil on linnen

Antonio Calderara
Still life (apple and banana)

1926                          
35 x 45 cm
Oil on linnen

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Figura femminile 17 x 9.5 cm Oil on linnen

Antonio Calderara
Figura femminile

17 x 9.5 cm
Oil on linnen

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Senza titolo  1967 18.5 x 15.5 cm Oil on paper on wood

Antonio Calderara
Senza titolo
1967
18.5 x 15.5 cm
Oil on paper on wood

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Finestre  1959 13 x 13 cm Aquarell and pencil on paper

Antonio Calderara
Finestre

1959
13 x 13 cm
Aquarell and pencil on paper

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Spazio Luce  1961 27 x 35 cm Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara
Spazio Luce

1961
27 x 35 cm
Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Attrazione quadrata grigia in colore luce grigio  1964–1965 27 x 27 cm Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara
Attrazione quadrata grigia in colore luce grigio

1964–1965
27 x 27 cm
Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Orizzonte bicromo nel giallo  1968 11 x 14 cm Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara
Orizzonte bicromo nel giallo

1968
11 x 14 cm
Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Senza titolo  1969 11.5 x 11 cm Aquarell on paper

Antonio Calderara
Senza titolo

1969
11.5 x 11 cm
Aquarell on paper

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Senza titolo  1964 12 x 13.5 cm Aquarell on paper

Antonio Calderara
Senza titolo

1964
12 x 13.5 cm
Aquarell on paper

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Senza titolo  1973 80 cm x 9 cm Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara
Senza titolo

1973
80 cm x 9 cm
Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Spazio Luce  1973 21 x 27 cm Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara
Spazio Luce

1973
21 x 27 cm
Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Senza titolo  1973 27 x 27 cm Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara
Senza titolo

1973
27 x 27 cm
Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Pittura  1974 27 x 27 cm Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara
Pittura

1974
27 x 27 cm
Oil on wood panel

Antonio Calderara / Antonio Calderara Orizzonte  1968 20.2 x 19 cm Aquarell on paper

Antonio Calderara
Orizzonte

1968
20.2 x 19 cm
Aquarell on paper

Sol LeWitt / Sol LeWitt Tilted Form with color ink washes superimposed  1987 Wall Drawing #524, Acryl Installed by Nicolai Angelov, 2013

Sol LeWitt
Tilted Form with color ink washes superimposed

1987
Wall Drawing #524, Acryl
Installed by Nicolai Angelov, 2013

Sol LeWitt / Sol LeWitt Horizontal Bands (More or Less)  2002 154 x 147 cm Gouache on paper

Sol LeWitt
Horizontal Bands (More or Less)

2002
154 x 147 cm
Gouache on paper

Sol LeWitt / Sol LeWitt 10’000 straight and 10’000 not straight lines within a  four-meter circle  2005 Wall Drawing #1180 black marker Drawn by Nicolai Angelov, 2015

Sol LeWitt
10’000 straight and 10’000
not straight lines within a
four-meter circle

2005
Wall Drawing #1180
black marker
Drawn by Nicolai Angelov, 2015

Sol LeWitt / Sol LeWitt Horizontal Lines, Black on Colors  2005 152.4 x 153.7 cm Gouache on paper

Sol LeWitt
Horizontal Lines,
Black on Colors

2005
152.4 x 153.7 cm
Gouache on paper