Jannis Kounellis exhibition opens at Collezione Olgiati in Lugano

The Collezione Giancarlo e Danna Olgiati at LAC Lugano is hosting an exhibition titled ‘Jannis Kounellis: Io sono un pittore’, which runs until January 2027. Curated by Vincenzo de Bellis, the show features over 35 works spanning from the late 1950s to 2016.

The exhibition offers a critical reinterpretation of Kounellis, moving beyond his traditional association with the Arte Povera movement. Instead, it uses painting as the primary interpretive lens, viewing his use of materials like iron, coal, fire, jute, and coffee as a form of painting that ‘writes life’ through space, silence, and memory.