From February 11 to June 18, 2023, Palazzo Tarasconi in Parma celebrates the centenary of the birth of Roy Lichtenstein (New York, 1923) one of the greatest interpreters of 20th century art and a master of Pop Art, with the exhibition ROY LICHTENSTEIN. Pop Variations.
The exhibition, curated by Gianni Mercurio, presents the many themes tackled by the great American artist through a selection of more than 50 works (editions and silkscreens, experimentations on metal, textiles and plastic as well as photographs and videos) from prestigious European and American collections. Although his beginnings in lithography and woodcut date back to 1948, followed two years later by etching and aquatint prints, it was after the “heroic” period of pop art, the first half of the 1960s, that his work and experimentation in the field of technical reproducibility systematically flanked that of painting, implemented with an equal rigorous and organized methodology on variations of pictorial themes that the artist developed over the years. Lichtenstein worked on his subjects without ever overlapping different series at the same time, devoting a circumscribed period of work to each.
Thus the exhibition, following a primarily chronological course that coincides with a thematic development, traces Lichtenstein’s entire artistic career from the 1960s onward, in which we find his themes and genres, from comic strips and advertising still life, landscape, forays into abstraction and the forms of the great masters, two-dimensional interiors, to the series of female nudes. The curator tells: «His art, based on the effects of visual perception, is an art of the gaze, so it is understandable how, in a society that since precisely the 1960s has been progressively pervaded by the power of the image, it still has a strong and enduring influence on the creatives of vision». A catalog will accompany the exhibition with texts written by the curator, Roy Lichtenstein himself, and the writer and art historian Avis Berman. The exhibition Roy Lichtenstein. Pop Variations opens the year that Palazzo Tarasconi will dedicate to America and Pop Art, a type of art capable of transporting, on the plane of color, the cultural and commercial evolution of American society at the time. From September 2023, the tribute to this artistic current will continue with the exhibition Keith Haring. Radiant Vision. Palazzo Tarasconi is recognized today as a place of art and culture. A building of great historical value, it was built in the 16th century at the behest of the brothers Scipione and Alessandro Tarasconi, following a probable design by Giovanni Francesco Testa. Visually striking, having kept its original layout intact, the palace stands in the heart of the historic center of the city of Parma, at number 37 on the very central Strada Farini.
The building is equipped with spaces of great interest and can host art exhibitions, conventions, events and events of all kinds in places with ancient charm but perfectly functional. The strong point lies in the striking basement cellars. Recently recovered, they are the chosen place for the staging of Palazzo Tarasconi’s exhibitions. Thanks to its location in the heart of Parma’s historic city center, the palace is easily reached by walking. A few minutes away are parking lots and public transportation stops. Parma is also an excellent destination to taste the typical cuisine from Emilia. Parma is renowned as city of gastronomy thanks to its food specialty like Parmigiano-Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello di Zibello, Salame di Felino, Fungo di Borgotaro and many more.
The exhibition ROY LICHTENSTEIN. Pop Variations is sponsored by the City of Parma and produced by GCR, General Service and Security, with Artistic Direction by WeAreBeside, for the conception of MADEINART.
