Emilio Isgrò biography

Emilio Isgrò is an Italian multidisciplinary artist born on 6 October 1937 in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Sicily. Known for his unique artistic language of "erasure", Isgrò left a significant mark on the panorama of Italian and international art between the 20th and 21st centuries. In addition to being a conceptual artist and painter, he is also a poet, writer, playwright and director. Emilio Isgrò's beginnings date back to 1956, when he published his first collection of poems entitled "Fiere del Sud". Already in this period, he demonstrated a predilection for experimenting and subverting traditional artistic conventions. In 1964, he made his first erasures on encyclopedias and books, contributing to the birth and development of visual poetry and conceptual art. After living in Venice as head of the cultural pages of the Gazzettino from 1960 to 1967, Isgrò moved to Milan, where he still lives and works today. In the following years, his artistic career took a significant turn. In 1966 he held his first solo exhibition at the 1+1 Gallery in Padua and published Declaration 1, in which he defined his conception of poetry as a "general art of the sign" . He exhibits in important Milanese galleries such as the Galleria Apollinaire, the Galleria del Naviglio and the Galleria Schwarz.
Starting from the 70s, Emilio Isgrò obtained increasingly important recognition. In 1972 he was invited to the Venice Biennale, where he also exhibited in the following years of 1978, 1986 and 1993. He participated in the 1973 Contemporary exhibition in Rome and in 1977 he won first prize at theSão Paulo Art Biennial in Brazil . In the same year he published the novel "Marta de Rogatiis Johnson" with Feltrinelli.
Isgrò is known for his installations and monumental works. In 1979, he presented the installation "Chopin" for 15 pianos at the Rotonda della Besana in Milan, which was revived in 2001 by the American pianist Ophra Yerushalmi at the Guild Hall in East Hampton in the United States. In 1982, he represents "Gibella del Martirio" and "San Rocco reads the list of miracles and horrors in Gibellina". In the three-year period 1983-1985 he published the Sicilian trilogy "L'Orestea di Gibellina".
Emilio Isgrò's works are characterized by the use of erasures, a gesture of overwriting or covering that brings to light the concept of erasure as a creative act. Through the erasure of words, sentences or images, Isgrò explores themes such as memory, oblivion, power and censorship . His works have a profound conceptual depth, inviting viewers to reflect on the meaning of words and their power to influence society.
During his career, Emilio Isgrò has held numerous personal and collective exhibitions in important national and international art institutions. In 2001, he was the subject of a large retrospective at the City of Palermo and in 2013 the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome mounted a significant retrospective entitled "Modello Italia". In 2019, the Giorgio Cini Foundation of Venice promoted an important retrospective on Isgrò curated by the critic Germano Celant. Emilio Isgrò has received numerous recognitions and awards during his career. In 2018, he was awarded the Ambrogino d'oro by the city of Milan. His works are present in important public and private collections, including the Center George Pompidou in Paris and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Emilio Isgrò has contributed significantly to the evolution of conceptual and visual art in Italy and around the world. His artistic research, characterized by erasure as a creative gesture, has influenced generations of artists and continues to be an object of study and admiration in the context of contemporary art.