Gallerynote 2/2025

May 14 to October 3, 2025

Sol LeWitt, Marisa Merz, Mario Merz

The more than 55-year history of the Annemarie Verna Gallery began with the then contemporary avant-garde movements in Italy and the United States. What started as artistic acquaintances often developed into close friendships — notably with Marisa Merz (1926–2013), Mario Merz (1925–2003), and Sol LeWitt (1928–2007). As key figures in the European and American avant-garde, these artists played a crucial role in challenging and redefining existing artistic concepts and aesthetic conventions. Annemarie and Gianfranco Verna accompanied them through this dynamic and transformative period.

Mario Merz was featured in solo exhibitions in 1977, 1979, and 1989. The collaboration with Sol LeWitt began in 1975 and has since resulted in 16 solo presentations. Marisa Merz was included in various group exhibitions, although she consciously avoided broader public visibility.

The current exhibition is both a tribute to three friends and a reflection on the distinctiveness of artistic expression — situated between abstraction and figuration, and between art, nature, and life.

See all images in the lightbox

Panel Discussion: Marisa Merz. Perspectives on a Quiet Pioneer

As part of the exhibition “Marisa Merz. Ascoltare lo spazio / Listening to Space” at the Kunstmuseum Bern, experts from the artist’s circle spoke about her work and her role within the Arte Povera movement – and beyond.

Bice Curiger (Fondation Vincent van Gogh, Arles), Annemarie and Gianfranco Verna (Annemarie Verna Gallery, Zurich), and Simona Ciuccio (Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau) discussed Marisa Merz’s unique material language, her artistic independence, her connection to Switzerland, and the enduring relevance of her work today

Exhibitions / Insight

INSIGHT #3 spotlights the graphic work of Fred Sandback through three examples from 1974 and 1982.

 

Glen Rubsamen Art & Nature: Inside Out (group show), Villa Arconati, Castellazzo, April 06 to October 12, 2025

Rita McBride Réfléchis bien (group show), EAC (les halles),
Porrentruy, May 11 to July 06, 2025

Andreas Christen Wir sind hier! (new collection display),
Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich , May 16 to September 28, 2025

Fred Sandback Cuts into Spaces (group show), Hall Art Foundation, Kunstmuseum Schloss Derneburg, ongoing

Giulio Paolini
A.R.S. Scaenica, permanent installation, Teatro Franco Parenti, Milan

Sol LeWitt (1928–2007)
A Wall Drawing Retrospective
Yale University Art Gallery and Williams College Museum of Art
November 16, 2008 – 2033

Privacy Policy
Imprint