Identikit, 1987-88
GPO-0622
Wooden photo frame with white passepartout, clothes, plexiglas plinth
132 x 60 x 61 cm
GAM Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin
Acquired in 1999, inventory no. S 462
A wooden portrait frame with a white passepartout in which several pieces of clothing have been tucked into the empty central part is set on a plexiglas base filled to the brim with men's clothing, while a jacket lies on the floor partially held down by the base.
The clothes in this implicit self-portrait are to be intended as the distinctive attributes of the author's "identikit" dressed as an actor, akin to the ceremonial attire, top hat, tail-coat, or stage costumes in other works made in the 1980s. Paolini uses the author-actor stand-in to emphasize the identification of his role as a mere interpreter (mediator, bearer, presenter), who limits himself to announcing a representation or announcing the possible occurrence of something.
The work is part of a series of five variants, made from 1987 to 2003, which are distinguished by the various elements that are associated each time with the portrait frame (GPO-0589, GPO-0616, GPO-0622, GPO-0642, GPO-0883).
| 1988 | Florence, Pitti Immagine Uomo, Fortezza da Basso, Giulio Paolini, July, not repr. |
| 1996 | Torre Pellice, Tucci Russo Studio per l’Arte Contemporanea, until 26 May. |
| 2001 | Turin, Palazzina della Promotrice delle Belle Arti, Parco del Valentino and GAM Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Torino, La GAM costruisce il suo futuro. Tre anni di acquisizioni di arte contemporanea, 16 November - 16 December, no catalogue. |
| 2006-07 | Turin, Torino Esposizioni, Museo Museo Museo 1998-2006. Otto anni di acquisizioni per le raccolte della GAM, 8 November 2006 - 27 January 2007, not repr. in the exhibition booklet. |
| 2009-11 | Turin, GAM Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Le collezioni della GAM, 23 October 2009 - February 2011, catalogue published in 2011, vol.I, col. repr. pp. 206-207, 211 (exhibition views, incorrect installation, corrected by the artist during the course of the exhibition), referred to in the text by R. Passoni p. 174, vol. 2, col. repr. p. 463 (exhibition view), catalogue entry by F. Cavagna p. 462. |
| • | Arte povera in collezione (Rivoli-Milan: Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea and Edizioni Charta, 2000), catalogue entry by M. Disch p. 216, col. repr. p. 217 (exhibition view Florence 1988). |
| • | M. Disch, Giulio Paolini. Catalogo ragionato 1960-1999, vol. 2 (Milan: Skira editore, 2008), cat. no. 622 p. 640, col. repr. |
| • | Dieci anni di acquisizioni per la GAM di Torino 1998-2008, edited by P.G. Castagnoli and E. Volpato (Turin: Umberto Allemandi & C., 2008), catalogue entry by V. D’Urso p. 513, col. repr. cat. no. 88 (incompletely dated “1988”). |
| • | Collezioni, edited by D. Eccher (Turin: GAM Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea and Umberto Allemandi & C., 2011), vol. I, p. 174 (referred to in the text by R. Passoni), col. repr. pp. 206-207, 211 (exhibition views Turin 2009-11, incorrect installation, corrected by the artist during the course of the exhibition); vol. II: pp. 462-463 cat. no. 197 (catalogue entry by F. Cavagna), col. repr. (exhibition view Turin 2009-11). |
