Pop/Beat

This book investigates the development of Pop Art and the Beat Generation in Italy, in a wide-ranging overview that takes into consideration all expressive forms, from painting to sculpture, from video to photography, from music to literature, contextualising them in the society of the time.

Between 1962 and 1965, in Italy, we witnessed a Pop awareness in all the arts, which interpreted the political and cultural changes of the period and the requests coming from the squares, universities and factories.

The works presented in these pages highlight the proactive uniqueness and absolute stature of Italian Pop Art in Europe, as well as the substantial differences and autonomy of Italian artists compared to American ones.

From the precursors of this sensitivity such as Enrico Baj, Pino Pascali, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Mimmo Rotella, we observe the connection between the experiences of the Piazza del Popolo Group in Rome, with Mario Schifano the authentic protagonist, and those of the neighbouring artists at the Marconi Gallery in Milan, without forgetting the experiences offered by Turin, Bologna, Florence and Naples. A particular in-depth study is dedicated to Italian Beat literature, which enjoyed good diffusion starting from the Seventies, as well as to the musical context.

Published to accompany an exhibition at Basilica Palladiana, Vincenza, March, 2 – June, 30, 2024.

Text in English and Italian.