Alighiero e Boetti

Alighiero Boetti was born in Turin, in Italy’s industrial north, in 1940. Boetti was in Turin when the groundbreaking Arte Povera movement was established in 1967 and is generally regarded as one of its central practitioners. In truth Boetti left the city for Rome in 1972, from which time his work was often infused with colour, in contrast with the general austerity of Arte Povera. His travels to Afghanistan in the 1970s also catalysed a significant shift in his work, particularly thanks to his ongoing collaborations with Afghan weavers thereafter. From 1973 onwards he signed works ‘Alighiero e Boetti’, suggesting a dual creative identity.