Press release Nader Gallery, Milano 27 January 2006
Exhibition 16 February – 12 March 2006 in Milano, Italy
The arrival of this unique exhibition of rare Navajo textiles and Hopi kachinas at the Nader Gallery in Milan is an important milestone to collectors of American Indian art as well as to those who collect noted contemporary art works. The exhibition is organized by Nader Soubuti Karim, owner of the gallery, considered one of the top ten collectors and experts in Italy, in collaboration with Ray Trotter . Many artists, including two as diverse as Paul Klee and Roy Lichtenstein, have been influenced and inspired by Native American designs and motifs such as those included in this exhibition at the Nader Gallery. In addition to the beauty, grace, and historical importance of the works presented in this show, they are prized because of the spiritual dimension they embody, their cultural significance, and the fact that they represent the most rare and beautiful specimens of Native American art in existence. At the opening, Patrizia Antonicelli, an Italian born living in Santa Fe (NM), will introduce the collection and the new way of knowing and tasting New Mexico and native arts & craft.
Textiles
The periods of Navajo weaving have been designated by Joe Ben Wheat in Blanket Weaving in the Southwest (2003) as Pre-Classic (before 1800), Classic (1800-1865), Late Classic (1865-1880), and Transitional (1880-1895), followed by the Rug and Modern periods of the twentieth century. Included in this exhibition is an exemplary Navajo wool serape woven in the late 1860s-1870s with a bright variegated red background and bold pattern using yellow, indigo-dyed blue and green, and white coloration. The results are spectacular, and the piece is appreciated for its bold, almost contemporary feel. Two other serapes in the exhibition are
Noteworthy: a beautiful example done in the 1870s-80s with stripes, center diamonds, and wonderful use of browns and oranges; and a Late Classic serape dated from the late 1860s to early 1870s woven of churro wool with a terraced design and interesting center diamond pattern. Also included in the show are two elegant saddle blankets, much prized for their dignified, almost sparse design.
Katsina
The Hopi and Zuni are the two groups best known for katsina. Those in the present exhibition are all Hopi, made between the 1880s and the 1920s. Katsina are not recent innovations; the Spanish wrote in the 1500s of seeing them hanging in pueblo homes. During katsina ceremonies and dances, the men wear the masks and dress of the spirits, because it is believed they embody the spirit of the katsina icons
Nader Gallery – Via S. Marta 10, 20121 Milan, Italy www.nader.it
Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10.00 a.m – 8.00 p.m thursday 10.00 a.m. – 10.00 p.m. & Sunday by appointment.