“Attesa” [Waiting] is a word rich in meaning and nuance, deeply intertwined with the gallery’s history.

“Attesa” [Waiting] is a word rich in meaning and nuance, deeply intertwined with the gallery’s history. Lucio Fontana used it to refer to the slashes in his famous monochrome canvases: a single opening corresponds to “attesa”, whilst multiple openings transform the title into “attese”. The word goes beyond the idea of simple passive waiting and looks to the future as anticipation or hope. Fontana’s gesture heralds a new modernity: a different way of conceiving the artwork and a radically new role for art in society.

This is the starting point for the exhibition curated by Ilaria Bignotti for Tornabuoni Art Paris, which uses Fontana as a key to reinterpret the collection. The exhibition brings together different artists according to their ‘temporalities’: the slowness of Alighiero Boetti and Claudio Parmiggiani, Fontana’s gesture in contrast to Alberto Burri, the speed of Giacomo Balla against the immobility of Giorgio de Chirico.

The exhibition thus reflects on how time and history intertwine in art, echoing Georges Didi-Huberman: before every image, we are always before time.