transavanguardia:
italia/America

In the late 1970’s, Art Historian Achille Bonito Oliva invented the term “Transavanguardia” to describe the school of painting emerging with Italian Artists such as Sandro Chia, Enzo Cucchi, Mimmo Paladino, Nicola de Maria and Francesco Clemente. Coinciding with the emergence of this new European style was its counterpart in the United States represented by such artists as Julian Schnabel, David Salle and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

In the Spring of 1982, approximately 1 year after Basquiat’s first solo exhibition at Modena’s Galeria d'Arte Emilio Mazzoli, and coinciding with the Artist’s second trip to Modena, Bonito Oliva curated Transavanguardia: Italia/America: a remarkable exhibition juxtaposing the Italian and American painting schools. Basquiat’s first European Museum exhibition featured some of his best paintings to date, many of which were later displayed in Bonito Oliva’s similarly titled Avanguardia:Transavanguardia exhibition in Rome.

Title: Transavanguardia: Italia/America
Curator: Achille Bonito Oliva
Venue: Galleria Civica del Comune di Modena
Dates: March 21 - May 2, 1982