Gianfranco Pardi was the father of geometry in Italy in the 20th century. Like Leonardo da Vinci, who first put applied geometry to art, Pardi was born in Milan, and his work bears the traces of da Vinci’s approach, interested in the meeting of painting, sculpture, architecture, mathematics and science.
Until now, Pardi has been somewhat of a well-kept Italian secret. The Associazione Culturale Gianfranco Pardi in Milan – founded to conserve the artist’s archive and define his contributions to Italian art – has established Pardi’s importance in his homeland, but now Cortesi Gallery in London is showing Pardi’s work in the first major monographic survey of his work outside Italy.
‘Sistema’, 1976
Focusing on works produced from 1968 to 1988, the earliest is his seminal Giardino Pensile (Roof Garden) from 1968, with its alien-green glazed aluminium, is a reflection on a dual concept of space as biomorphic and geometric, real and imagined, manmade and natural.
The work — on view in London — also coincided with the beginnings of Pardi’s ongoing collaboration with Giorgio Marconi at Studio Marconi (now operating as Fondazione Marconi) — who worked with avant-garde artists defining the artistic movements of their day, like Man Ray, Sonia Delaunay and Lucio Fontana.
From left, ‘Finestra’, 1977; ‘Casa’, 1981; and ‘Giardino Pensile’, 1969
Throughout the 1970s, Pardi continued to be inspired by architecture. In his series Architettura, he introduced structural steel bars and buffed metal surfaces to his canvases — radical in his day — creating works that combined painting, drawing and sculpture in one work, another radical idea at the time.
Architecture continued to be a source of wide-eyed fascination for the Italian artist. From these poetic ruminations on canvas in the 1970s, inspired by windows and ceilings, among other interior structures, Pardi moved outwards, and began to imagine whole structures — the home (Casa, 1981), the museum, (Museo, 1980) and even, a cinema (Cinema 02/1, 1987).
From left, ‘Sistema’, 1976; ‘Architettura’, 1973; and ‘Architettura’, 1970
This survey at Cortesi places Pardi’s work in the wider context of European art history — somewhere between abstraction, constructivism and neoplaticism. They’re also, as it happens, very pleasing to look at.
Left, Architettura, 1973. Right, Architettura, 1973
Left, Cinema 02/1, 1987. Right, Diagonale, 1982
Left, Cinema 02/1, 1987. Right, Architettura, 1973
INFORMATION
‘Gianfranco Pardi. Works 1968 – 1988’ is on view until 11 March. For more information visit the Cortesi Gallery website
ADDRESS
Cortesi Gallery
41–43 Maddox Street
London W1S 2PD
-
Broken up into six pavilions, this brutalist Mexican house is embedded in the landscapeSordo Madaleno’s brutalist Mexican house, Rancho del Bosque, is divided up into a series of pavilions to preserve the character of its hillside site, combining concrete, curves and far-reaching views
-
Etihad Airways’ A321LR redefines the single-aisle experienceAbu Dhabi’s flagship carrier brings wide-body sensibility to its new generation Airbus aircraft, a rethink of what short and medium-haul travel can feel like
-
Ralph Steadman has worked with everyone from Hunter S. Thompson to Travis Scott and Quavo – now, the Gonzo illustrator is celebrated in LondonA new exhibition provides a rare opportunity to experience the inimitable work and creativity of Gonzo illustrator Ralph Steadman up close. Just don’t call it a ‘style’.
-
Ralph Steadman has worked with everyone from Hunter S. Thompson to Travis Scott and Quavo – now, the Gonzo illustrator is celebrated in London
A new exhibition provides a rare opportunity to experience the inimitable work and creativity of Gonzo illustrator Ralph Steadman up close. Just don’t call it a ‘style’.
-
Five of the biggest art exhibitions to see in London in 2026From Marilyn Monroe, to David Hockney and Tracey Emin – get these art exhibitions in your diary now
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekWith the return of back-to-school, it's back to business for the Wallpaper* team, who’ve been making the rounds at fashion pop-ups and pavilion launches. Elsewhere, we’ve been indulging in new literature and old restaurants, and taking in a farewell exhibition at a landmark gallery...
-
From art to fashion, and back again: Jonathan Schofield’s figurative work is back in styleAfter graduating from London’s Royal College of Art, Jonathan Schofield began a career as a creative director at Stella McCartney. Now, he has returned to his first love, painting
-
Watch: artist Shezad Dawood lights up The Gaumont, King’s Road’s creatively focused new hubIn our short film, meet the artist, see his new work in the making, and discover more about The Gaumont
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekHere in the UK, summer seems to be fading fast. Moody skies and showers called for early-autumn rituals for the Wallpaper* team: retreating into the depths of the Tate Modern, slipping into shadowy cocktail bars, and curling up with a good book
-
‘A Single Man’ is now a ballet – we go behind the designAs ‘A Single Man’ is presented by The Royal Ballet and Factory International in London, here’s how its set designer brought protagonist George’s inner and outer worlds to life on stage
-
Artists imbue the domestic with an unsettling unfamiliarity at Hauser & WirthThree artists – Koak, Ding Shilun and Cece Philips – bring an uncanny subversion to the domestic environment in Hauser & Wirth’s London exhibition
