Novello Finotti. The Sensual Mysticism of Sculpture

The prominent Italian sculptor Novello Finotti will present, for the first time in Athens, his work in a retrospective exhibition at the B & M Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music. The exhibition titled Novello Finotti. The Sensual Mysticism of Sculpture includes sixty-five sculptures spanning his long artistic itinerary in Carrara marble, black Belgian granite and brass, such as his representative works “My Three Loves”, 1979,  “Valentinο”, 1977, “Homage to Kafka”, 1979, “Annunciation” ,1978, “Federica’s nests”, 1983, “Magic”, 1997, “Levitation”, 1991-1997, “Homage to Juliet”, 2014, among others.

The curator of the exhibition, Takis Mavrotas mentions: «Novello Finotti’s integral and pivotal sculptural oeuvre serves as the cipher of his life. A lyrical and dramatic artist, yet a foremost master of bronze and marble, his sculpture delights the senses, communicates emotion, and instructs, conveying with earthly wisdom the truth of love and life. His immediate concern lies in the essence of sculpture and its conceptual depth, never nodding to current vogues or perceptions of art in a meaningless pursuit of innovation […]

Through his art, Finotti grapples with profound existential questions, embarking on a spiritual and artistic quest to unveil the essence of the world and the universe. He forges new pathways and, whether directly or indirectly, illuminates the realms of necessity and truth, possibility and impossibility. The deeply incisive nature of his sculpture imbues his works with a mystical aura, inviting viewers into a transcendent realm. Finotti’s vision could not have been realised without his collaboration with skilled artisans and stonecutters able to tackle the monumental scales and challenges of his output. The translation of his vision into material is arduous, as he endeavours to infuse life into marble, granite, or bronze with every chisel stroke. […]

In 1985, just two years before his passing, the visionary gallerist and collector Alexandros Iolas extended an invitation to Finotti to his museum home in Agia Paraskevi, where he commissioned his bust from the sculptor. Throughout their years of collaboration, Iolas remained a steadfast supporter of Finotti’s sculptural endeavours, diligently promoting his work across Europe and America. In a poignant tribute to the memory of the esteemed gallerist and collector, Finotti later donated a bronze bust to the Telloglion Foundation of Arts, AUTh».

When he was fifteen he signed up for the Academy of Art in his native city and the same time he attends the atelier of the Veronese sculptor Nereo Constantini. Merely nineteen-year-old, he wins his first price in the Exhibition of Sacred Art in Assisi. In 1959 he graduates and one year later he starts teaching at the same city’s Academy. He begins showing his former works in bronze, and in 1963 he comes in contact with the foundry Boncini in Verona. Then the turning point arrives, he meets the talent scout and the artists´ merchant Alexander Jolas, and between them an intense and long lasting partnership springs. In 1964 his sculptures cross the Pacific Ocean to be introduced to the Armony Gallery of New York. Two years later he presents his works at the Biennale di Venezia. His travel to Greece in 1973 signs one of the fundamental waypoint of his artistic and human path. Once more in 2014 he join the Biennale di Venezia, then his fame is streered toward the Far East thank to his solo art exhibitions of 2015 and of the following years in Busan, in Corea anew. In 2017 his masterpieces are exhibited at the XXX edition of Le grandi Mostre nei Sassi in Matera
and the rocky complex of ‘Madonna delle Virtu’ and ‘San Nicola dei Grecci’. In 2001 he crafted the majestic decoration for the tomb of Pope John XXIII in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In 2020 he presented his exhibition “Finotti: Fine Notte. The night’s end” at the Teloglion Fine Arts Foundation of AUTH.

The exhibition will last until November 3, 2024 and will be accompanied by a multi-page catalog of the same title, with all the exhibited works, texts by Takis Mavrotas and Alexandras Goulaki-Voutyras, as well as excerpts from texts by Antonio Paolucci, Rossana Bassaglia, Giorgio di Genova and José Pierre.

Curation: Takis Mavrotas