You and the Night and the Music
Francesco Conz Editions from the Museion Collection
Curated by Frida Carazzato
In collaboration with the Fondazione Bonotto and Patrizio Peterlini’s curatorial advice
Exhibition and graphic design: SS16 Studio and AndreaTabocchiniArchitecture
Press preview: 11.04.2025, 11:00 am
Opening: 11.04.2025, 7:00 pm
Museion Passage and Piccolo Museion - Cubo Garutti
Museion continues to research and explore its own collection by presenting You and the Night and the Music – Francesco Conz Editions from the Museion Collection, an exhibition dedicated to art editions, especially those of Francesco Conz, one of the key figures in the promotion and artistic production of international neo-avant-gardes in Italy.
Curated by Frida Carazzato with the collaboration of the Fondazione Bonotto, through the curatorial advice of Patrizio Peterlini, the exhibition uses the museum collection to explore the cultural legacy and artistic vision of Francesco Conz. This important figure, who worked with Fluxus, Visual Poetry and Concrete Poetry artists, played a decisive role in disseminating these artistic practices in Italy and abroad.
The title of the exhibition is taken from a work by Gerhard Rühm, a visual artist, musician, poet and co-founder of the Wiener Gruppe, and one of the first artists with whom Francesco Conz began producing large-format editions.
The “You and the Night and the Music” title stimulates reflections on the relationship between art, time and the links between artists, collectors and museum institutions. The conjunction “and” in the artwork becomes, in the title of the exhibition, a metaphor for both the network of cultural connections that has given rise to one of the main hubs in the Museion collection and the figure of Conz, whose passion bound together artistic and human experiences.
A number of collectors and art critics, in fact, have played a fundamental role in the history of the museum collection. People like Paolo Della Grazia, who donated his collection to the museum in 2020, Luigi Bonotto, Henry Martin and many others, have helped to create an artistic heritage that is now an essential reference point for the study of neo-avant-gardes. Thanks to their activities, Museion has been able to enrich its collection with a body of works that bears witness to the value of publishing and screenprint production as a means of disseminating contemporary art.
The exhibition is located in the central area of Museion Passage, a space designed to host dynamic installations that are open to the public. The central and corner sections – the latter can be visited until November 16 2025 – present a selection of screenprints on canvas produced by Conz and designed to be easy to transport and exhibit in various contexts. These works interact through videos, artists’ multiples and other editions to create an experience that reflects on the art of publishing both as an artistic tool and as an effective space of cross-genre exchange, in harmony with the Fluxus spirit.
The exhibition is further enhanced by a number of volumes of La Livre, Francesco Conz’s last publishing project which has only recently seen the light, and which will be exhibited here for the first time in Italy. The work, whose lengthy production is closely linked to the Brunnenburg Castle near Merano, is dedicated entirely to the artists invited by Conz to pay homage to the poet Ezra Pound, who lived in the castle for fourteen years.
Berty Skuber, who has numerous works in the Museion collection, plays a major role in the exhibition and is a key figure in this network of relationships. A solo show dedicated to this artist, entitled Berty Skuber. Anthology is currently on show at the Palazzo Vescovile in Brixen until June 29.
Last of all, a special documentary on Francesco Conz, who would have celebrated his 90th birthday this year, entitled Conz. The ultimate collector’s life by Roberto Delvoi, will be shown in the Infolounge at Museion.
Collateral program
15.05.2025, 20:00
Durante, a Canedicoda performance
13.–14.09.2025
Presentation of the books: “Henry Martin: An Active Ear” and “Dick Higgins. Intermedia e altri scritti teorici”, - as part of Museion’s special 24-hour anniversary event
for the entire duration of the show
Piccolo Museion – Cubo Garutti: an exhibition of editions and works from the Museion collection with initiatives focused on introducing and exploring Fluxus and Visual Poetry, in collaboration with the La Rotonda Community Hub from the OfficineVispa Social Cooperative
You and the Night and the Music
Francesco Conz Editions from the Museion Collection
Exhibition
