The macLYON invites Giulia Andreani for a solo exhibition covering about ten years of her work. Entitled Cold Painting, the exhibition traces the development of Andreani's painting, which explores the representation of different kinds of power in the 20th century, whether in war, art, official history, or marginal history.
With her keen sense of history, painter Giulia Andreani has brought figurative painting back onto the French art scene. Her work retraces the narratives of history and the struggles of the 20th century, which she reinterprets through political and feminist, as well as marginal, figures. Her paintings unearth vestiges of the past and highlight their resonance with current societal and political issues.
The exhibition The exhibition is divided into three successive chapters, exploring the artist's fascination with “grand narrative” history, the big history of power and domination; “minor narrative” history, which brings to light the major social role of overlooked, voiceless figures from the past ; and the incorporation of collective memory into art history. Giulia Andreani casts a highly personal, critical eye on hierarchies and the role of historical figures and artists in society.
With more than fifty works, including paintings and watercolours in a wide range of formats, on display in a specially designed scenography, Cold Painting reflects the socially engaged themes that are so important to the artist, as well as the often ironic humour that infuses her work. A previously unexhibited, large-scale painting crowns the research she has carried out for the exhibition and confirms Giulia Andreani's position as one of the leading artists of her generation.
The title of the exhibition, Cold Painting, echoes the artist's reflections on the influence of political contexts on painting, particularly the Cold War (1947–1991), a historical period that Giulia Andreani has been particularly drawn to.
‘I feel very concerned about what happens around me and I often react emotionally; my painting expresses the urgency of the times. Despite the fact that I work slowly and in spite of my seemingly very smooth brushwork, it's actually the work of an angry painter.’
Curator: Marilou Laneuville, Head of exhibitions and editions of macLYON
