Giuseppe Panza: Memories of a Collector
A dedicated collector and advocate of contemporary art since the late  1940s, Giuseppe Panza has played a fundamental role in the artistic culture  of his time, introducing American phenomena such as Abstract Expressionism,  Minimalism, Pop Art, Environmental Art, and Conceptualism to the museums of  Europe. Now, in a brilliant response to everyone's primary question about  Modern Art--"What does it mean?"--Panza shares philosophical insights and  personal reflections that bridge a half-century of discovering new artists  and movements.Panza was among the first to buy the works of Rothko, Kline, Lichtenstein,  and many of the other major figures of post-WWII art, watching as their  works skyrocketed in monetary value as well as historic importance. He  pursued collecting with undiminished enthusiasm through the 1980s and  1990s, all the while searching for the best venues in which to display his  latest acquisitions. Sections of his private collection were exhibited by  and acquired into major collections, particularly the Museum of  Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim in New York. Among his  signature innovations was the juxtaposition of contemporary art with  historic settings--Baroque palaces, ancient European public buildings, his  own eighteenth-century villa--in order to create unexpected and stimulating  dialogs between the architectural context and the work of art.Complete with 110 full-color illustrations, spanning decades of  transformation in art and world culture, Giuseppe Panza: Memories of a  Collector provides a unique glimpse into the movements and trends that have  defined modern art. It is also the fascinating life story of a man who  helped define the trends themselves, through passion, insight, and  prophetic taste.