Collection: Vincenzo Agnetti

Vincenzo Agnetti (Milan, 1926 – 1981) was one of the leading exponents of Italian conceptual art in the late twentieth century. His work stands out for its innovative use of language, writing, and technology as tools for critical reflection, transforming words into visual and conceptual material.

After technical and theatrical studies, Agnetti trained at the Brera Academy and developed an artistic language that fused logical analysis, philosophy, and poetry. In the 1960s, he lived in Argentina, where he began an intense theoretical reflection on art. Returning to Italy in 1967, he abandoned traditional painting to create a body of work that would establish him as a central figure of the avant-garde.

Among his most famous creations are his iconic engraved Bakelites, dark panels featuring phrases, aphorisms, and paradoxes that reflect on language, time, and the artist's identity. Another seminal series is Libri dimenticati a memoria (Books Forgotten by Heart), in which Agnetti combines writing, absence, and erasure as tools for investigating memory and information.

In the 1970s, he also created technological and performative works such as his "useless machines," conceptual devices devoid of function but charged with symbolic and political meaning. In the Photo-Graffie series (1979–1981), the photographic image is scratched and blackened, subverting the documentary function of the visual medium.

Agnetti participated in internationally renowned exhibitions, including Documenta 5 in Kassel (1972) and several editions of the Venice Biennale (1974, 1976, 1978, 1980). He exhibited at important Italian galleries such as Studio Marconi, making a decisive contribution to the artistic and cultural debate of his time.

Vincenzo Agnetti's works are now present in prestigious permanent collections such as the Museo del Novecento in Milan, the Castello di Rivoli, the MAXXI in Rome, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the MoMA – Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work continues to be the subject of research, retrospectives, and critical appreciation, confirming his centrality in the European conceptual art scene.