A.R. Penck e Frank Breidenbruch

A.R. Penck e Frank Breidenbruch (Dresda, 1939 – Zurigo, 2017; Wuppertal, 1963 – )

In the early 1990s, Giuliano Gori met a “very talented emerging German artist” and attended an exhibition of his work in Colonnata. To his surprise, he came across sculptures in marble and mixed-media paintings by the young Frank Breidenbruch displayed alongside works by the master A. R. Penck, whose work was already part of the Gori Collection. A conversation began between the collector and the two German artists about the possibility of creating a collaborative artwork on a farmside hill at Celle, accessible via a secondary road. Unlike the historic park, which one had to access via the Gori residence, this location (for the occasiondesignated “Experimental Field One”) would be used as an open-air studio by the German guests, who would enjoy completely independent access. Penck and Frank visited the area several times to survey the site and experiment with the dimensions of the elements to be placed in the landscape.

With Giuliano Gori it was agreed that, for a period of three years, the artists would work in the area to sculpt the land and manage the forms and, upon completion of the project, the commissioner would decide whether to accept the artwork for the permanent collection or set a new period for its dismantling. As expected, this drastic measure did not become necessary because, as of 1995, the work of Breidenbruch and Penckwas recognized for its environmental qualities and became part of the outdoor collection. Their process had started with the installation of the initial tall “cone” (which marks the spiritual center of the site), which was then surrounded by three elements in the shape of “ritual horns”, recalling music. In 1998, two elements were added at the top of the meadow: a small Carrara marble circle with a palindromic inscription reproducing the Sator square and, covering one of the two water wells in the area, a stainless steel plate reflecting the sky.

“Continuing the expansion of the outdoor exhibition surface, a new large perimeter strip of land bordering the previous agricultural area is now added. This surface is divided into several parts, not visually connected to each other, and assigned from time to time to artists free to use it with autonomous design. The purpose of this process is to empower the artist, both in relation to permanent installations and the environment. The works will remain the property of the artists who created them, with the option to expand or modify the project until the end of the established period. Afterward, they can be withdrawn by the rightful owners or acquired by the Fattoria di Celle.” Translated from Giuliano Gori in his text for Frank Breidenbruch and A. R. Penck, Centro Spirituale, the brochure of the inauguration held in June 1995.

A.R. Penck e Frank Breidenbruch

Works by the artist

Spiritual Center

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