Agenzia del contemporaneo

The Unexpected Subject. 1978 Art and Feminism in Italy recounts the Seventies as a key phase in the history of Italian art of the 20th century, during which the spread of feminist thinking stimulates a new critical awareness that encourages many female artists, curators and art historians to rethink their role in society, life and art. Starting from a symbolic date, 1978, the year in which Mirella Bentivoglio presents more than 80 female artists at the exhibition Materializzazione del linguaggio on the occasion of the 38th Venice Biennale, the catalogue rereads the decade to focus on the close link between artistic practice and feminism. The stories and artworks of the female protagonists of that season testify to the emergence in the scene of history of a new subject (an unexpected subject) that, interrupting “the monologue of patriarchal culture”, finally manages to manifest itself.

Flash Art is a contemporary art magazine that has outlined and coined the most significant moments in art from 1967 onwards. Today Flash Art has two editions, an Italian and an international edition, and is distributed in 87 countries. The magazine participates in the most important biennials, art fairs, and international art events. It is a point of reference for gallery owners, collectors, and academics worldwide. Flash Art maintains a robust online and social-media presence, with flagship websites www.flash---art.com and www.flash---art.it. Flash Art is directed by Gea Politi, who is also the publisher, and by Cristiano Seganfreddo.

This book was published in conjuction with the exhibition

The Unexpected Subject
1978 Art and Feminism in Italy

FM Centre for Contemporary Art, Milan
April 4 – May 26, 2019

Editors: Marco Scotini and Raffaella Perna
Authors: Ilaria Bussoni, Barbara Casavecchia, Cristina Casero, Leslie Cozzi, Mariarosa Dalla Costa, Silvia Federici, Daniela Ferrari, Jacopo Galimberti, Laura Iamurri, Caterina Iaquinta, Christian Marazzi, Lea Melandri, Raffaella Perna, Marco Scotini, Carla Subrizi, Elvira Vannini, Giovanna Zapperi
Editorial coordinators: Alessandro Azzoni, Cristina Masturzo, Eleonora Milani
Art direction and Design: Alessio Avventuroso
Production: Agenzia del Contemporaneo
Copy editors: Eleonora Milani, Marta Zanoni
Translators: Alessandro Azzoni, Neil Davenport,
Charles Gute, Nicola Rudge Iannelli, Cristina Masturzo
Biographies edited by: Chiara Lupi

ISBN: 9788894154085
All rights reserved © 2019 Flash Art srl