In many ways the Collezione De Iorio, like the ancient Roman god Janus, is two-faced.
WOLFGANG TILLMANS, Freischwimmer 152, 2010. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
In many ways the Collezione De Iorio, like the ancient Roman god Janus, is two-faced: one face contemplates the past, the other sees the future, and the neck clings to its base.
The collection, focused on contemporary art, consists of a theme of white works almost referring to ancient Greek sculpture, and a theme in the opposite direction that is formed by the irreverent, “ugly” and apocalyptic work. The whole collection is influenced from collector Mauro De Iorio’s profession as a Medical radiologist and entrepreneur: medicine, diagnostic, investigating the inner depth and outer depths of the human body are themes often present in the art that he collects.
Walking through the entrance of the Venetian house of De Iorio you are welcome by a blinking eye from an orange monochrome by Tony Oursler; then a sculpture by Goshka Macuga, where a two-dimensional reproduction of an arm is hugging a branch; in the corridor, an orchid by Mat Collishaw reveal itself as a mass of bowels instead of a beautiful flower; in the guest room a shot by Robert Mapplethorpe where two sinuous arms stretch out to become dictatorial. Part of the collection is characterized by an aesthetic brutality that evades any sublimation, diving into the post-Internet, in the synthetic, and in the unrefined revision of even more subcultures.
The other face of the collection is quite different: white, classic, polished, sometimes archaic, golden. Among these works there is a climbing chalk by Paolo Icaro, a tribal mask by Alexandra Sukhareva, the funny and lucid marble work of Jon Rafman, and the colossal tubular structure depicting a sparrow of Petrit Halilaj. Mauro De Iorio does not have a clear idea of beauty, he has two: one is Apollonian, almost harmonic; the other is annoying and provocative. De Iorio is aware that the pleasure of the contemplation of an artwork is changeable; he knows that what looks beautiful now can be seen differently later, and so his “collectors eye” has become expert to identify the extreme elegance and the extreme brutality.
Extract from a text by Sofia Silva, appeared in the series “Critical Collecting” curated by Antonio Grulli.
GUAN XIAO, Marble Floor, 2016. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
RACHEL WHITEREAD, Six Windows, 2016. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
PETRIT HALILAJ, Abetare (Big Bird), 2015. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
ROGER HIORNS, Untitled, 2010. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
ETTORE SPALLETTI, Grigioazzurro, Argento, 2006. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
WYATT KAHN, Shade, 2016. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
FRANCESCO GENNARI, Vorrei Essere Me Stesso, Ma Solo Alla Luce Del Sole, 2014. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
SOL LEWITT, Strutture, 1988. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
ANDRA URSUTA, Broken Obelisk, 2013. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
MARK MANDERS, Unfired Clay Head, 2014. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
GIULIO PAOLINI, Orfeo, 1988. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
DAVID ALTMEJD, Untitled 3 (Bronze Bodybuilders), 2016. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
SAM FALLS, Untitled (Small Tuileries), 2013. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
NEIL BELOUFA, Shaffholding Series, 2015. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio. Photo: Archivio Mart and Carlo Baroni
HELEN MARTEN, Water the Scotch, 2016. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
KLARA LIDEN, Untitled (Bench), 2014. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
DAHN VO, Untitled (a-z Without J) - W, 2011. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio. Photo: Nick Ash, Berlin
ORAKRIT ARUNANONDCHAI, Untitled (Painting With History in a Room Filled With People With Funny Names 3), 2015. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
ENRICO DAVID, Trancing, 2013. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
MIROSLAW BALKA, "237 x 127 x 62", 2007. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
FRANCESCO VEZZOLI, Diva - N (La Grande Orizzontale), 2014. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
THOMAS HOUSEAGO, Striding Figure (Study 2009). Courtesy Collezione De Iorio. Photo: Jacopo Menzani
JON RAFMAN, New Age Demanded (Angel Racer Marble), 2014. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
MICHAEL E. SMITH, Untitled, 2014. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
MICHAEL DEAN, Shorey, 2016. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio. Photo: Ken Adlard
IBRAHIM MAHAMA, Chaley Wote, 2014. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
CALVIN MARCUS, Grass, 2016. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
CALVIN MARCUS, Dead Soldier, 2016. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio
NEIL BELOUFA, People’s Passion, Lifestyle Beautiful Wine, Gigantic Glass Towers, All Surrounded by Water, Office Version, 2015. Courtesy Collezione De Iorio. Photo: Archivio Mart and Carlo Baroni
