Gastone Novelli

Gastone Novelli (Vienna, 1925 – Milan, 1968) joined the Resistance during World War II, was arrested and sentenced to death, and freed in 1944 when Allied troops entered Rome. He began his artistic career in Brazil in 1948 and settled in Rome in 1955, becoming part of the city’s artistic scene through his friendship with Emilio Villa.

In 1957 he visited Paris, meeting Tristan Tzara, André Masson, Man Ray, and Hans Arp, and co-founded the magazine L’Esperienza Moderna with Achille Perilli. In the 1960s he collaborated with writers and artists including Samuel Beckett, Georges Bataille, and the Italian neo-avant-garde. He co-founded the magazine Grammatica in 1964 and won the Gollin Prize at the Venice Biennale. In 1966 he published Viaggio in Grecia (Journey to Greece), exploring language, myth, and anthropology.

Invited to the 1968 Venice Biennale, he refused to exhibit in protest. He began teaching at the Brera Academy and died on 22 December 1968. His works are now in major collections, including MoMA, New York; the National Gallery, Washington; MASP, São Paulo; the British Museum, London; and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.