CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 10/9/2015

Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Painting

Made of burlap, synthetic polymer paint, thread and Vinavil on black fabric, "Sack H 8" (circa 1953) is reproduced from The Trauma of Painting, the comprehensive catalogue to the Alberto Burri show opening today at the Guggenheim. The importance of this exhibition cannot be overstated—it marks the first time the artist's work has been treated to a retrospective in an American museum in more than 35 years; it is also the most comprehensive overview, ever. To quote Giulio Carlo Argan, "Burri's painting is not a painting of symbols, but rather of signs. It is not painting that prefigures or announces something. It is painting that wants to be touched."