Echoes. Origini e rimandi dell’art rock britannico

 

On April 17, the Padiglione d’arte of Fondazione Luigi Rovati will open Echoes. Origini e rimandi dell’art rock britannico (Echoes. Origins and references of British art rock), a curatorial project by Francesco Spampinato, structured into three distinct exhibitions. The series explores the origins and echoes of art rock, which took shape in 1960s and 1970s Britain, highlighting the convergence between the visual arts and rock music. From The Beatles to Pink Floyd, from Yes to Genesis, and up to Peter Gabriel, the exhibitions present paintings, illustrations, photographs, installations, videos, and memorabilia that bear witness to a "historic" period in which artistic avant-gardes met the cultural industry.

Divided into three exhibition moments, the project begins with an investigation into the convergence and cross-pollination between visual art and rock music in 1960s and 1970s England, a phenomenon commonly known as art rock. Renowned artists, photographers, and illustrators drew from avant-garde movements to shape the visual identity of extraordinary bands and musicians, creating iconic album covers, photographic shoots, multimedia performances, and innovative communication strategies that became milestones in both pop culture and contemporary art history. This period saw the rise of true and timeless rock legends.

 

The exhibition path reveals the artistic inspirations behind art rock, particularly Surrealism, and examines the cultural and social impact of this phenomenon, emphasizing its connections to its era and its lasting influence on collective imagination and contemporary art. From historical avant-gardes to British Pop Art, from Counterculture to Postmodernism, and up to the latest artistic movements, the exhibited works tell a deep story of the bond between music and art. The display shows how art rock redefined boundaries and languages, paving the way for hybrid forms of expression that artists of all disciplines continue to explore today.

The exhibited works come from the collection of Fondazione Luigi Rovati and loans from major public and private collections: paintings, illustrations, photographs, installations, videos, and memorabilia recounting some of the most representative bands and artists of the British music scene of the time—from beat to psychedelia to progressive rock—exploring the origins of their visual language and its echoes in future generations of artists.

 

April 17 - June 8 | The Beatles. Il mito oltre la celebrità (The Beatles. The Myth Beyond Fame)

This exhibition illustrates the groundbreaking impact of the Fab Four on youth culture and society as a whole. The Beatles’ revolution was not confined to music; it profoundly transformed visual culture, reinforcing the dynamics of the star system and ultimately transcending them, reaching the status of myth.

The exhibition delves into the creation of the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, displaying the entire photographic portfolio by Michael Cooper, which documents the famous diorama by William Blake and Jann Haworth, a quintessential piece of British Pop Art. Also on display is an original work from Haworth’s Old Lady series—the doll featured among the life-size figures on the cover—and Richard Avedon’s psychedelic portraits of The Beatles.

Complementing this visual journey, Yoko Ono’s video Smile presents an intimate portrait of John Lennon, while Pipilotti Rist’s I’m Not The Girl Who Misses Much closes the exhibition with a bold feminist echo.

 

June 14 - July 27 | Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis. Nuove percezioni della realtà (Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis. New Perceptions of Reality)

This exhibition explores the psychedelic and surrealist imagery accompanying the productions of these legendary bands. The journey begins with a metaphysical painting by Alberto Savinio, continues with Roger Dean’s paintings for Yes album covers, and features the visionary photography of Hipgnosis and Storm Thorgerson for Pink Floyd—including the prism from The Dark Side of the Moon, the burning man from Wish You Were Here, and the inflatable pig by Jeffrey Shaw from Animals.

For Genesis, the exhibition showcases Paul Whitehead’s paintings for Trespass, Nursery Cryme, and Foxtrot, including the iconic red-dressed fox, alongside Colin Elgie’s original watercolors for A Trick of the Tail and Wind and Wuthering.

Resonating with this surreal imagery, Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg presents an installation depicting a fairytale-like world filled with multicolored pills.

 

August 27- October 5 | Peter Gabriel. Frammentazione dell’identità (Peter Gabriel. Fragmentation of Identity)

Dedicated to the multifaceted identity of Peter Gabriel, the soul of Genesis in their early years and later a successful solo artist, this exhibition features signed copies of Hipgnosis’ artwork for his first three albums (Car, Scratch, and Melt), as well as photographs and music videos of his iconic stage transformations—from the Foxtrot fox-woman to the striking makeup of Shock the Monkey, showcased in Guido Harari’s 1983 photo from the Sanremo Festival.

The exhibition explores the theme of self-fragmentation in artistic research, beginning with the famous representation of Rrose Sélavy, Marcel Duchamp’s alter ego, documented in Man Ray’s photographs, and continuing with original works by Keith Haring and Kiki Smith, which address identity crises in the postmodern era.

 

 

Publication

The exhibition series is accompanied by a publication by Francesco Spampinato, published by Fondazione Luigi Rovati.

 

 

INFORMATION

The Beatles - Il mito oltre la celebrità
April 17-June 8

Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis - Nuove percezioni della realtà
June 14-July 27

Peter Gabriel - Frammentazione dell'identità
Aug. 27-Oct. 5

Fondazione Luigi Rovati | Art Pavilion
Free admission