Before or After, at the Same Time: Rome, Milan, and Fabio Mauri, 1948–1968 is a landmark publication from Hauser & Wirth Publishers exploring post-war Italian art through the cultural lens of remarkable 20th-century thinkers and artists. Discover the fascinating narrative of Fabio Mauri, an artist, writer, producer and intellectual, alongside the history of his family, a publishing dynasty which thrived on close connections to radical Italian art, poetry, cinema, philosophy and literature. Mauri’s story becomes a starting point from which to explore Italian visual culture, its influences and the defining ideas behind it. The title refers to Mauri’s statement: "I can’t stay in step with my time. I am either before or after it, at the same time." (Fabio Mauri, Ideology and Memory).
The social and political aftermath of the Second World War engendered two highly energetic pockets of creativity in the cities of Rome and Milan. Uncover a tale of these two cities, with Mauri—a multi-disciplinary artist who resisted categorisation—acting as the point of introduction to the artistic practices that emerged from each of these distinct cultural, economic and political scenes. The book examines and, in cases, re-examines the artistic milieu surrounding Mauri which included Carla Accardi, Franco Angeli, Enrico Baj, Alberto Burri, Alighiero Boetti, Enrico Castellani, Dadamaino, Piero Dorazio, Tano Festa, Lucio Fontana, Jannis Kounellis, Piero Manzoni, Gastone Novelli, Mimmo Rotella, Mario Schifano, Giulio Turcato and Cy Twombly.
Edited by Ben Eastham, the publication features:
-Essays and newly commissioned texts by Giorgio Agamben, Ilaria Bernardi, Barbara Casavecchia, Pierre Testard, Andrea Viliani and Laura Cherubini
-An interview between Achille and Sebastiano Mauri discussing the enduring and near unbelievable family history
-A historic article by Fabio Mauri "In 1960 the 1950s Were 10 Years Old," bringing his prescient character to life
-Never before published and translated letters between Silvana Mauri, Fabio’s eldest sister, and Pier Paolo Pasolini, the filmmaker, writer and poet expressing a remarkable intimacy and honesty
Published to coincide with the special presentation by Hauser & Wirth at Frieze Masters in London, October 3-6, 2019.
About Hauser & Wirth Publishers
Since its founding in 1992, Hauser & Wirth Publishers has grown into a dynamic imprint that produces more than 20 titles per year, with a special focus on artists’ archives and writings. It creates unique, object-like books that encourage an understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art, with a backlist also comprising monographs, artists’ books, publications focused on important private collections, and exhibition catalogues—often bringing new and overlooked aspects of an artist’s creative practice into focus. By commissioning original, in-depth scholarship to give thoughtful insight, Hauser & Wirth Publishers aims to craft accessible, lasting records of artists’ work, ideas, and exhibitions.
In 2019, Hauser & Wirth Publishers opened a stand-alone global headquarters and flagship bookshop in the historic center of Zurich, Switzerland, which operates alongside a parallel enterprise in New York. Today it serves as an international hub for research and scholarship, led by Chief Editor Dr. Michaela Unterdörfer, who has helmed Hauser & Wirth Publishers since 2005.
