Enzo Cucchi. Poet and Magician

The unedited portrait of a multifaceted and visionary artist who has always eluded definitions. Enzo Cucchi is one of the most prolific and innovative artists on the contemporary scene, a free thinker and countercurrent. His research is rooted in the written word and flourishes in a multitude of different signs, symbols and expressive languages. Like an alchemist, he bewitches and moulds matter; like a storyteller, he evokes stories, myths and places far away in time. The more than two hundred works in the exhibition mark out an itinerary that is indivisible and full of surprises, a story told in scattered pages that refuses any chronological linearity and returns creativity in perpetual movement. Scattered everywhere, like traces in the gallery, monumental works, drawings, small bronzes, ceramics, graphics and artist''s books continually intercept the visitor''s gaze. IMAGE: Enzo Cucchi, Senza titolo, enamel on steel mesh, untitled, 2008 Italian artist Enzo Cucchi (b. 1949), is one of the pioneers of the 20th century trans avant-garde art movement, and was part of a wider international movement of Neo-Expressionist painters. Today he is considered one of Italy’s most productive and innovative artists, and has become a model for the younger generation. His work is notable for its vibrant colour, figuration, and symbolism, with signs, symbols, mixed media, and words which meld into a powerful new aesthetic. His work is presented here in thematic chapters, and includes his ceramics, small bronze figurines, drawings, paintings, and artist books. This volume accompanies the exhibition Enzo Cucchi: Poet and Magician that will be held between May and November 2023 at MAXXI in Rome.