Phd in HISTORY OF ART

Thesis title: I Wall Drawings di Sol LeWitt in Italia: la conservazione della materia e del concetto

Sol LeWitt created his first Wall Drawing in 1968 on the walls of Paula Cooper's gallery in New York: it was the first in a series of works with which he would affirm his idea of art, shifting the focus from the artifact to the concept, from the individual gesture to the collective procedure, from the work understood as a unicum to one that is realized in multiplicity. In this context, even the aspect of conservation takes on new terms: no longer merely functional in safeguarding a physical object, but rather in preserving the system of relationships between concept, design, execution, and context. This research aims to investigate the Wall Drawings with particular attention to the works created in Italy, where, thanks to a deep-rooted affection developed over the years, the artist found an ideal context to stimulate his perceptions and develop his language. The study moves across several interconnected levels of investigation: the first concerns LeWitt's thinking and language in relation to the milieu in which he works, also considering his fruitful relationships with artists and critics involved in the contemporary artistic debate. Another level of study concerns the formal choices underlying his works, which translates into an analysis of the numerous series of Wall Drawings, codified in almost forty years of research. A further analytical level focuses on the conceptual aspects, which can be traced back to the meanings underlying his work, such as design methods, the relationship with the architectural context, and the ideas of impermanence and changeability. The investigation therefore focuses on the technical aspects relating to the medium and procedures chosen for the materialization of ideas, how they change as the formal language evolves, and how the delegation of execution, a fundamental aspect of Wall Drawings, is managed. The field of research is broadened to include the analysis of various case studies, direct documents that serve to support or refute what has been previously outlined. The thesis concludes with an analysis of the specific conservation perspectives for these works. From a methodological point of view, in addition to the study of bibliographic and archival sources, oral testimonies were collected by interviewing some of the people involved in LeWitt's artistic career.