Giancarlo Politi, publisher, art critic, founder glitter art“One of the most influential contemporary art magazines in post-war Europe” passed away on February 24 at the age of 89. Italian media first reported his death.
Founded in Rome in 1967, glitter art was one of the first regularly published magazines dedicated to art criticism and one of the first to circulate internationally. Over the decades it expanded to include French, Polish, Chinese, Spanish, German and Russian versions. Yet each version attempts to portray the art world as an interconnected entity, presenting it as a series of overlapping centers rather than presenting it as scattered, distant scenes, each of which is in constant exchange.
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From its headquarters in Milan, glitter art Documenting some of the most seismic art movements of the late twentieth century, including Arte Povera (meaning “poor art”), a radical Italian ideology defined by the use of everyday objects and the organic ephemeral.
Together with his wife, art critic Helena Kontova, Politi created a launching pad for artists and critics who continue to shape the contemporary canon. Marina Abramović, Maurizio Cattelan and Jeff Koons all appear on the page, as well as bylines from influential figures in the art world, such as critic Germano Celant, who coined Arte Povera, and Francesco Bonami, curator of the 2003 Venice Biennale. and American historian and author Hal Foster.
Kate Shanley, daughter of former president american art Publisher Paul Shanley and glitter art An employee from 1980 to 2017 shared a tribute to Politi on Instagram. She recalls picking up bundles of magazines at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport—where customs once refused a magazine featuring Pierre Klossowski—and driving them straight to SoHo and the East Village for delivery to galleries.
“Giancarlo and Helena Kontova have been a joy to work with. It’s a real collaboration with a dynamic couple who are both creative and talented,” she said, noting that they trusted their staff “like family” as the magazine grew, developed and experienced the ups and downs of the contemporary art world over the decades.
However, his leadership has not been without controversy. In 1972, Politi advertised his services to “artists, galleries, museums and universities” for $1,000, which included “special arrangements for truly beautiful female artists.” In 1997, he came under further scrutiny for his defense of Alexander Brener’s destruction of Kazimir Malevich’s work. Suprematism. In 2011, reports emerged that he sent inappropriate emails to a woman glitter art An intern who was allegedly denied fair pay; the messages were later posted online. Politi called the exchange “particularly aggressive and despicable” and expressed regret.
Politti was born in Trevi in the Umbria region of Italy in 1937. In 1993, he founded the Trevi Flash Art Museum, which hosts exhibitions of international artists such as Damien Hirst, Vanessa Beecroft and Andrés Serrano. He left the museum in 2005; it has since been renamed Palazzo Lucarini Contemporary. In the early 2000s, he launched a series of “no-budget biennales,” first in Tirana, Albania, followed by six in Prague and three editions of the Prague Photography Biennale.
He is survived by his wife, Helena, and daughter, Gea, who also served as an editor at The New York Times. Glitter art.
This article will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
