Emilio Prini: The First Monograph and European book tour
Edited by Luca Lo Pinto and published by Sternberg Press with MACRO – Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome.
The first comprehensive monograph dedicated to Emilio Prini (1943–2016), one of the most enigmatic and radical figures of Arte Povera, is now available from Sternberg Press. Published on the occasion of the exhibition Emilio Prini: ...E Prini (October 27, 2023–March 31, 2024) at MACRO – Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome, curated by Luca Lo Pinto, the volume offers the most systematic study to date of the artist's work.
Structured chronologically from 1966 to 2016, the publication examines Prini's practice through an extensive iconographic and bibliographic analysis of his archives and of the institutions in which he exhibited. Refusing any hierarchy of media, the book presents installations, sculptures, invitations, posters, typescripts, and documents without distinction—reflecting Prini's own understanding of the work as an open and constantly rearticulated process rather than a closed object. By first analyzing works individually and then situating them within their exhibition contexts, the monograph sheds new light on the artist's methodology and his persistent interrogation of authorship, originality, and display.
At a time marked by the overproduction and overconsumption of images and objects, Prini's uncompromising refusal of production as necessity resonates with renewed urgency.
The volume, edited by Luca Lo Pinto, includes contributions by Alexander Alberro, Stefano Chiodi, Lara Favaretto, Adam Harrison, John Knight, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Luca Lo Pinto, Timotea Prini, Anri Sala, and Andrea Viliani. It is designed by Experimental Jetset.
The publication is supported by the Italian Council (2024), a program of the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
European book tour
The book is being presented across major European institutions through a series of conversations exploring Prini's legacy and contemporary relevance.
Centre Pompidou-Metz
January 22, 2026
Conversation between Luca Lo Pinto, Anri Sala, and Stefano Chiodi.
Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
February 26, 2026
Conversation between Luca Lo Pinto, Adam Harrison, and Matteo Binci.
MACRO – Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome
March 11, 2026
Conversation between Luca Lo Pinto, Experimental Jetset, and Timotea Prini.
Haus der Kunst, Munich
March 27, 2026
Conversation between Luca Lo Pinto, Experimental Jetset, and Andrea Lissoni, with a performance by Martina Ruggeri.
Through these presentations, the book extends the critical inquiry initiated by the exhibition, reopening the discussion around Prini's practice within an international framework and across generations of artists, curators, and scholars.
