Michelangelo Pistoletto

For over six decades, Michelangelo Pistoletto has explored the relationship between art, the viewer and society, positioning himself as a key figure in the development of post-war European art.

Born in Biella, Italy, in 1933, he began his career as a painter before turning to conceptual practices that would come to define the Arte Povera movement. His early self-portraits and Mirror Paintings, begun in the early 1960s, were pivotal in expanding the boundaries of image-making. By placing photographic images on polished steel, Pistoletto created a surface in which viewers found themselves reflected, thereby becoming part of the work. These pieces challenged traditional notions of representation and introduced an interactive dimension to contemporary art.

In the late 1960s, Pistoletto became a central figure in Arte Povera, aligning with artists such as Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz and Alighiero Boetti. Like them, he rejected the material hierarchies of the art market, employing humble, everyday objects — rags, cardboard, newspapers — to question the commodification of art and its role within society. At the same time, his work remained distinct in its emphasis on performance, theatre and time-based media, particularly through projects such as The Minus Objects (1965–66), which explored the relationship between form, action and the body.

Throughout his career, Pistoletto has maintained a commitment to art as a tool for social change. In 1998, he founded Cittadellarte in his hometown of Biella — a multidisciplinary laboratory intended to unite art, education and civic engagement. His Third Paradise symbol, an emblem formed by reconfiguring the infinity sign, expresses his vision of a balanced future where nature and technology coexist in harmony.

Pistoletto’s work has been exhibited in major museums worldwide, including the Tate, MoMA and Centre Pompidou. He represented Italy at the Venice Biennale in 1966 and later received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2003. Still active today, he continues to advocate for a socially responsible role for the artist — one that bridges aesthetics and ethics, and positions creativity at the centre of collective transformation.