Beverly Pepper
at Fort Belvedere
30 years of sculpture
The City Council of Florence, thanks to the sponsorship of Philip Morris Companies Inc., has opened a huge anthological exhibition on the work of Beverly Pepper to display some of the most suggestive sculptures produced over a period of about 30 years by this American sculptress. This is the first time that a woman artist has been invited to show at this important sculpture appointment in Florence, where exhibitions have been held in recent years by such artists as Henry Moore, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Fernando Botero, Mimmo Paladino e Marino Marini. It is also the first time that an American artist has exhibited at Fort Belvedere. The Michelangelo-designed fortress, with its spectacular view over Florence, will host over 70 sculptures, some of them monumental, set up by the artist herself, as well as models, drawings and photographs.Beverly Pepper has developed her career with great determination between two cultures and two continents: the United States where she was born and Europe, where she lives. Her huge incisive sculptures in heavy materials like rusty iron or flashing steel and large environmental installations, have made her one of the most important artists of contemporary art in the world.
Born in 1924 in New York, she studied in Paris under Ferdinand Leger, then in Rome, where she decided to concentrate on sculpture. She then started working in the great Italian metal foundries. Heavy and rough materials like iron, cast iron moulded into tall columns or reminders of restyled work tools, with rust effects or rough finishes, characterize her work through a formal evolution, that more recently, after her steel boxes of the 70's that reflect the environment around them, have developed into huge installations in open spaces, perfect natural theatres for her sculpture.
The exhibition comes complete with an illustrated catalogo published by Electa and a film, available in cassette. Exhibition organization is by the Centro Italiano per le Arti e la Cultura, Rome.
Fort Belvedere: until August 10th 1998
