A new artistic movement, which came to be known as Arte Povera, was formed in the sixties and promoted by artists such as Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Pino Pascali, and Michelangelo Pistoletto.

Their use of “poor” materials, such as soil, glass, wood, and wax, is characteristic and to this day forms a critical contrast to our increasingly technological environment. In stylistic anarchy, paintings, objects, installations, and performances aspired to find a path back to natural processes and organic laws. The Goetz Collection has one of the most comprehensive collections of Arte Povera; it is presented in this publication and probed for its relevance for today’s youngest generation of artists.

Photographs and contemporary documents shed light on the far-reaching impact of this artistic awakening, which has lost none of its momentousness.