Riscoperte e appropriazioni queer di Francis Picabia nell’Italia degli anni Settanta

Abstract

In an article he published in 1973 in the queer magazine FUORI!, Mario Mieli stated his appreciation for Francis Picabia’s aphorisms. Building on this surprising statement, the paper addresses and contextualises the underground circulation and some queer appropriations of Picabia’s work and writings in 1970s Italy. The publishing history of Picabia’s aphorisms leads to a reconstruction of the gallerist Luciano Anselmino’s collection and commercial activity. Next, the paper focuses on the role that Corrado Levi played in the dissemination, critical reception, and Italian collecting of Picabia, tracing and contextualizing the presence of writings by the artists in Levi’s publications of the 1970s and early 1980s.