AFRO

Afro Libio Basaldella (Udine, 1912-Zurich, 1976) was perhaps the most renowned member of the Friuli Avant-garde Movement, which influenced his approach towards a more Expressionist sense of painting that had always been based on traditional Venetian Colourism. In the 1940s, Afro joined the Fronte Nuovo delle Arti, and following a visit to the United States, he joined the Gruppo degli Otto, with whom he exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1952. Although in certain aspects his style seemed similar to American Action Painting, his harmonious tonal modulation and later research into abstract shapes and forms produced intellectually sophisticated results. This is the catalogue of the first French retrospective of the artist, held at the Tornabuoni Art Gallery in Paris, showing works ranging from the 1930s to the 1970. Contents: Preface by Philip Rylands; Afro, his work by Philip Rylands; Afro and the New York art scene by Barbara Drudi; Letters and writings selected by Barbara Drudi; Critical anthology selected by Philip Rylands; The exposition of 1949 at the MoMA by Davide Colombo; The Garden of Hope by Anne Monfort.