The Collection : Castello Di Rivoli, Museo D'Arte Contemporanea

The Collections is the official catalogue of the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is housed in Turin's Rivoli Castle. This castle was commissioned in 1718 by the king of Italy and has been home to the Museum's splendid contemporary collection since 1984. Some of the artists represented are Carla Accardi, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Luciano Fabro, Lucio Fontana, Richard Long, Claes Oldenburg, Tony Cragg and James Lee Byars. Each reproduced work is accompanied by biographical information that situates each artist historically.

Although is seems somewhat premature, in Defining the Nineties the chief curator at America's newest museum for contemporary art, MOCA Miami, attempts to identify the emerging artists of the Nineties, to define the characteristics of their works, and to explore the impact of the marketplace. Several patterns are discussed, such as an increased interest, and support for, local artists; a smaller number of superstars and Europeans; and a growing recognition of artists of Latin American origin. Cogent essays, color illustrations, a checklist, and the biographies of 22 young artists create a compelling survey. Two of those artists?Janine Antoni and Charles Long?are included in the Saatchi Collection catalog, which would have been more appropriately subtitled New New York Art, as eight of the nine artists live and work there. Unfortunately, though there are short essays and good color illustrations of each artist, no attempt is made to give the works any unifying framework. Conversely, The Collection, the catalog of the first ten years of Milan's new museum of contemporary art, delivers more than it promises. In addition to essays, illustrations, and bibliographies of the works of its 44 artists (mostly European and well established), there is an interview with collector Pontus Huhten, an essay on public collections of modern art in Italy, and a detailed description of the history, restoration, and interior decoration of the castle that houses the collection. All three catalogs make contributions worthy of any medium- to large-sized contemporary art library, The Collection being the best single volume and the Miami book the most important for collections concentrating on American art.?Heidi Winston, NYPL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.