Grande Nero

Alberto Burri
1980

Il Grande Nero, a large work by the sculptor Alberto Burri, stands in the Salone delle Acque space inside the Rocca Paolina, perfectly framed by the mighty 16th century vaults of the fortress whose volumes and perspectives provide the sculpture with a monumental, almost sacred, dimension.

This minimalist, kinetic sculpture is composed of a large black vertical parallelepiped whose summit incorporates a semi-circular shape, powered by an internal motor, rotating slowly and silently.  
Together with nine paintings, this artwork was originally part of the Orti cycle that Burri created and displayed in the Fabbrica di Orsanmichele in Florence in 1980.

In 1984 the sculptor made a gift of the piece to the city of Perugia so that it could, in accordance with his instructions, occupy the space which had previously hosted, and thereby replace, his Grande Nero RP sculpture (now on display in the Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri in Città di Castello).

Il Grande Nero RP is a large, cracked sculpture presented by the artist, who was born in Citta di Castello, at a historical meeting-happening event with the German artist Joseph Beuys which took place on 3rd April 1980 in the Sala Cannoniera space within the Rocca Paolina fortress. Curated by Italo Tomassoni and Lucio Amelio the happening was a major event on the international contemporary art scene featuring two major European artists. During a lengthy performance Beuys presented what became Opera Unica, an installation (now on display in the Museo Civico di Palazzo della Penna) comprising a cycle of six blackboards featuring chalk drawings and inscriptions which summarize his poetic, sociological and political vision of art and feature a strong environmentalist awareness. 

Contacts:

Address: Rocca Paolina - Piazza Italia, 11 - 06121 Perugia PG