Ezio Gribaudo: The Man in the Middle of Modernism

By: Hannah Fields 

Artistic innovation meets scholastic invention in Victoria Surliuga's book, "Ezio Gribaudo: The Man in the Middle of Modernism." In this volume, the Texas Tech University associate professor of Italian and Italian Program Coordinator in the Department Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, presents a full-length interview with the Italian-born artist that reads as a narration of his work and collaborations with famed creators such as Francis Bacon and Peggy Guggenheim.

The Turin-based Accademia di Brera trained architect turned artist, Ezio Gribaudo, has made a name for himself as a painter, sculptor and graphic artist. From creating award-winning displays to publishing some of the most relevant figures in modern art since the 1950s, Gribaudo has transformed into a significant figure in contemporary Italian art.

Gribaudo is most known for his work called logogrifi (a term of Greek origins evoking fishnets and objects that are caught in a specific moment in time). By using logogrifi, Gribaudo creates dazzling white on white compositions that share themes of knowledge and the human experience with images designed to trigger memories. His unique artwork has been included in many permanent museum collections across the world: The Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA); the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Venice, Italy); Robert McDougall Art Gallery (Christchurch, New Zealand), among others.

Surliuga's book was presented at the opening of the Ezio Gribaudo solo exhibition held at the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts in Lubbock. The exhibit, which was held from April 1 to May 28, featured works Gribaudo began developing around 1965 and continues to develop to this day. Gribaudo was also presented with the prestigious IIC (Istituto Italiano di Cultura) Lifetime Achievement Award by the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, which recognizes Italian excellence in the world, at the exhibit's opening.

The exhibit itself was backed by The CH Foundation and endorsed by the Consulate General of Italy in Houston, Italy in US, The College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures. In addition, sponsors for the promotion of the exhibit included The City of Lubbock, as recommended by Civic Lubbock, Inc. and Texas Commission on the Arts.

Since its publication, Surliuga's book has gained national attention, with several speaking invitations being extended to the Texas Tech professor including the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles, the Boston University Arts Initiative, and the XXII AISLLI (Associazione Internazionale di Studi di Lingua e Letteratura Italiana) Conference "Errors and Mistakes" organized by the Center of Italian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She also held a book signing at the Rizzoli Bookstore in New York on November 21.

You can purchase Surliuga's book directly through her publisher, Glitterati Incorporated's, website or through Amazon.