An influential figure of postwar art, the Italian artist Alberto Burri made his “unpainted paintings” by creating surfaces and supports out of humble and prefabricated materials. Throughout his career, Burri was championed by James Johnson Sweeney, director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Sweeney organized the artist's first retrospective in the United States at the Museum of Fine Arts in 1963.
The exhibition was on view at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery from January 6 to February 2, 1964. It was also on view at the Walker Art Museum from February 17 to March 29, 1964, and the Pasadena Museum of California Art from April to October 1964.
Installation view of Alberto Burri at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (January 6–February 2, 1964). Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Installation view of Alberto Burri at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (January 6–February 2, 1964). Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Detail of a work by Alberto Burri in the exhibition Alberto Burri at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (January 6–February 2, 1964). Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Guests at the Members' Preview for Alberto Burri at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery on January 6, 1964. Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
