27 Must-See Artworks at Artissima 2019

Alex Katz, Vivien, 2016. Courtesy Galleria Monica De Cardenas, Milano, Zuoz and Lugano

By PAUL LASTER, October 2019

The only fair in Italy exclusively devoted to contemporary art, Artissima returns to the Oval in Torino for its 26th edition with 208 galleries from 43 countries from October 31 to November 3, 2019. Directed by curator and art historian Ilaria Bonacossa, who received an MA in Curatorial Studies from Bard College and worked as research assistant for the 2003 Whitney Biennial and curator at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo until 2012, when she became the artistic director of the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Villa Croce in Genova, the fair is celebrated for championing pioneering practices and launching up-and-coming artists and galleries. 

With a theme exploring the duality of desire and censorship, this year’s fair includes seven sections: The Main Section, offering a selection of the representative galleries on the international scene; New Entries, which features emerging international players; Dialogue, which focuses on the works of two artists shown in close dialogue with each other; Art Spaces & Editions, highlighting galleries, project spaces and non-profit initiatives; and three sections curated by teams of international curators—Present Future, showcasing emerging talent;  Back to the Future, focusing on the rediscovery of pioneers of contemporary art; and Disegni, featuring all forms of contemporary drawing.           

We’re previewing 27 of our favorite artworks that will be on view at Artissima this week—with pieces ranging from Bruno Munari’s dynamic drawings from the 1930s and ‘40s at Galleria Maurizio Corraini Arte Contemporanea and Ugo Mulas’ photographic studio shots of Lucio Fontana painting in the 1960s at Lia Rumma to Lynda Benglis’ marvelous marble sculptures of twisted forms at Thomas Brambilla and Jesse Mockrin’s recent realistic paintings, which riff on European classical canvases, at Night Gallery.

Scroll through the images below to find more of our must-see picks. WM

Bruno Munari, Senza titolo (periodo futurista), 1930. Courtesy Galleria Maurizio Corraini Arte Contemporanea, Mantova

Carla Accardi, Onde blu, 2008. Courtesy Massimo Minini, Brescia

Hans Schabus, August Self, 2017. Courtesy Galerie Jocelyn Wolff, Paris

William Kentridge, The Death of Pier Paolo Pasolini, 2014. Courtesy Lia Rumma, Milano and Napoli

Osamu Kobayashi, Touch, 2019. Courtesy A+B, Brescia

Felix Schramm, Multilayer 295, 2019. Courtesy Ribot, Milano

Lucia Tallová, Second Archive, 2017. Courtesy SODA gallery, Bratislava

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Smartphone giovane donna 6 movimenti B, 2019. Courtesy Giorgio Persano, Torino

Georges Rousse, Kochi, 2018. Courtesy Photo&Contemporary, Torino

Luca Bertolo, Adieu, 2019. Courtesy SpazioA, Pistoia

Ifeoma U. Anyaeji, Bonendale nke abo, 2015. Courtesy Primo Marella Gallery, Milano and Lugano

Shadi Ghadirian, Qajar #19, 1998. Podbielski Contemporary, Milano

Gianni Politi, La Pancia del Serpente, 2018/19. Courtesy Lorcan O'Neill, Roma

Giuseppe Penone, Trattenere 6, 8, 12 anni di crescita (Continuerà a crescere tranne che in quel punto), 2004-2016. Courtesy Tucci Russo Studio per l'Arte Contemporanea, Torre Pellice and Torino

Yuli Yamagata, Untitled (mouths), 2019. Courtesy Madragoa, Lisbon

Ugo Mulas, Lucio Fontana, Milano, 1964. Courtesy Lia Rumma, Milano and Napoli

Lynda Benglis, Untitled III, 2018. Courtesy Thomas Brambilla, Bergamo

Hoda Tawakol, Nude #5, 2019. Courtesy Isabelle Van Den Eynde, Dubai

Jesse Mockrin, Dream on evil, 2019. Courtesy Night Gallery, Los Angeles

Timo Nasseri, Glance #8, 2013. Courtesy Ab/Anbar, Tehran

Jonathan Monk, Salvo Magazine Painting, 2019. Courtesy Noire Gallery, Torino

Naiza Khan, Assemblage I, 2019. Courtesy Rossi & Rossi, London and Hong Kong

Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian, I learnt all the words and broke them up, To make a single word: Homeland…..,, 2017– 19. Courtesy Isabelle Van Den Eynde, Dubai

Sandra Vasquez de la Horra, Los Caminos de Ellegua, 2017. Courtesy Galeria Senda, Barcelona

Sara VanDerBeek, Roman Woman XV, 2019. Courtesy Altman Siegel Gallery, San Francisco

William Wegman, Rearranged Countries, 1990. Courtesy Florence Loewy, Paris