John Armleder's book focuses on the origins of his playful use of multiple styles and devaluated decorative effects for a practice claiming to be anchored in the 20th century avant-gardes.
The book is published by the commissioner, BSI (Banca della Svizzera Italiana), as part of their Art Program, relaunched in 2005 by the Italian curator and critic Luca Cerizza. Stemming from a program of site-specific commissions for the bank, the books in this series are conceived as individual monographs on each artist's contribution. Gathering preparatory material, documentation on the works, and essays by critics or the artists themselves, these volumes contribute to the discussion around commissioning, the notions of public vs. private collection, and the relationship between artists and patrons.
One of the most important and admired artists of the last decades of the 20th century and of the 21st, John M Armleder (born 1948 in Geneva) has created multiple and fertile bodies of work spanning all artistic disciplines, from his distinctive Furniture Sculptures to his Fluxus performances within the Écart collective, from his diverse painting series to his drawing practice, from his striking installations and wall paintings to his numerous works created in collaboration with artist friends.