In Italy in the 1960s, Mario Schifano led the transition from postwar abstraction to a new figuration. His radical visual vocabulary, which pulled the imagery of pop commerce into his art, was similar to that of American contemporaries like Andy Warhol. In fact, in 1963 Schifano visited New York City, where he met Warhol and Jasper Johns, the poet Frank O’Hara, and members of the Rolling Stones. This exhibition of 20 works recognizes Schifano as a pivotal figure, a bridge between Italian art and the greater world. —E.C.

Facing America: Mario Schifano, 1960–65
Center for Italian Modern Art
421 Broome St, 4th floor, New York, NY 10013
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