Paul Fryer: Lo Spirito Vola

© Paul Fryer
Exhibition view, Lo Spirito Vola, Gucci Museo, March 17 - September 4 2012.
© Paul Fryer
Exhibition view, Lo Spirito Vola, Gucci Museo, March 17 - September 4 2012.
Gucci Museo

Curated by
Francesca Amphitheatrof

An unclassifiable artist with a winding journey - from Leeds' underground clubs to the Young British Artists - Paul Fryer is a key figure in the contemporary art scene. Drawing both from Christian Gnosticism and the world of science, his works provoke encounters that are both poetic and disturbing. Pietà, a hyperrealistic wax sculpture representing Christ on an electric chair, and Ophelia, adapting the Shakespearean theme in a tub filled with silicone, are good examples of the artist’s approach. Punctuating the visitor's journey, these two masterful and irreverent works were presented for the first time by the Pinault Collection.

Paul Fryer: Lo Spirito Volta was the second exhibition of the collection organized at the Gucci Museo after Bill Viola: Amore e Morte. It underlined the interest of the collector for destabilizing works and original contexts of display.

Artworks in the Paul Fryer: Lo Spirito Vola exhibition