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David Nolan Gallery’s exhibition “Alice in the Land of Violence” presents 16 paintings and 15 drawings by Valerio Adami, mostly made between 1962 and 1967. It is his first New York exhibition in more than 20 years and includes “Hotel Pulitzer,” a work completed this year. The review describes Adami’s style as combining Pop Art’s outlined forms with expressionist distortions.
David Nolan Gallery has opened “Alice in the Land of Violence,” an exhibition of work by Italian artist Valerio Adami that marks his first New York show in more than 20 years. The presentation brings together 16 paintings and 15 drawings, most made between 1962 and 1967, and includes “Hotel Pulitzer,” which Adami completed this year.
The exhibition also inaugurates the gallery’s new space in Tribeca. According to Hyperallergic’s review, the selection centers on a period when Adami was developing a distinctive visual language amid major shifts in international art. The show includes works such as “Auto-lavaggio (Car Wash)” (1964), made with pencil, watercolor, and tempera on paper, and “Blam” (1962), an acrylic painting on canvas.
The review characterizes Adami’s approach as a meeting of Pop Art’s flat colors and black outlines with the distortions associated with expressionism. It also identifies surrealism as part of the mix. Rather than treating the artist as simply a Pop painter, the article argues that his work draws on multiple influences and transforms them into a style of his own.
Hyperallergic reports that all but one of the 31 works are dated from 1962 to 1967. The exception, “Hotel Pulitzer,” was completed this year. The review says the painting shows no loss of acuity, though that is the critic’s assessment rather than a measurable finding.
Adami’s New York Return
The show brings a substantial group of Adami’s works to New York after a gap of more than two decades, giving local audiences a chance to see paintings and drawings from a formative stretch of his career together. Its focus also complicates a straightforward Pop Art label: the works combine graphic clarity with figures and forms that the review describes as unsettled or ambiguous.
The presentation connects that early work to Adami’s continuing practice through “Hotel Pulitzer,” completed this year. That pairing offers visitors a point of comparison across several decades, although the exhibition’s concentration remains on the 1960s. Its opening in a new Tribeca gallery space also makes the show the venue’s inaugural presentation there.
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From Milan to International Circles
Adami was born in Bologna in 1935. The source report says he graduated from art school in Milan and moved to Paris in 1955, where he met artists Roberto Matta and Wifredo Lam. By the late 1950s, he was traveling regularly and spending time in London, New York, South America, and India.
Hyperallergic says Adami’s friendships and exchanges included artists, philosophers, and writers such as Richard Hamilton, Jim Dine, Oskar Kokoschka, Jacques Derrida, Édouard Glissant, and Octavio Paz. The review links these encounters to the range of references in his work, including surrealist imagery, expressionist treatment of bodies, and Pop Art’s bold outlines and color. It also notes that his work uses ambiguous shapes and words that resist a single, simple interpretation.
““His syncretic style melds Pop Art’s cool, outlined forms with expressionism’s figural distortions, resulting in a perturbing ambiguity.””
— Hyperallergic review
Exhibition Dates and Further Details
The source report does not state the exhibition’s closing date, admission information, or whether additional public programs are planned. It also does not provide a full checklist or detailed descriptions of every work on view. The claim that “Hotel Pulitzer” retains the artist’s acuity is the reviewer’s judgment; the report gives no technical assessment or further information about the painting’s subject or materials.
The exhibition’s title refers to violence, but the source does not set out a definitive interpretation of that theme. The review instead stresses ambiguity in Adami’s imagery and language, so a single intended meaning for individual works should not be assumed from the available account.
Visit the Tribeca Exhibition
The exhibition is on view at David Nolan Gallery in its new Tribeca location, according to the report. Readers seeking practical details, including the closing date and visitor arrangements, will need to check the gallery’s current information; those details are not included in the source material. The show’s 1960s works and newly completed painting remain the confirmed focus of the presentation.
Key Questions
What is “Alice in the Land of Violence”?
It is a David Nolan Gallery exhibition of Valerio Adami’s paintings and drawings, focused mainly on works made between 1962 and 1967.
How many works are in the exhibition?
The report lists 16 paintings and 15 drawings, for a total of 31 works.
Why is this New York exhibition significant?
It is Adami’s first New York exhibition in more than 20 years and inaugurates David Nolan Gallery’s new Tribeca space.
Does the show include recent work?
Yes. It includes “Hotel Pulitzer,” completed this year, while the other works are dated between 1962 and 1967.
What styles does Adami’s work combine?
The review describes a mix of Pop Art outlines and saturated colors, expressionist distortions, and surrealist influences. It presents that combination as the critic’s interpretation of the work.
Source: rss
