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Over eighty detailed
drawings--including approximately fifty ink drawings on rag paper and thirty
graphite works on large pieces of vellum--are featured in the first museum
survey of these extraordinary works. Rizzoli was a visionary and worked
copiously and privately to illustrate and interpret his fantasies of a perfect
world. Fascinated with words as well as images, he combined verse and captions
with drawings to create plans for an imaginary city, including floor plans,
elevations, and site maps. Upon Rizzoli's death, his works were stored in
a garage until 1990, when they were discovered by Bonnie Grossman of Berkeley,
California. |
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| A.G. Rizzoli Ytte Plot Plan--4th Preliminary Study 1938 Collection Ames Gallery Berkeley, CA |
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| Rizzoli's obsessive
and meticulously rendered drawings fit well with the Museum's emphasis on
experimental architecture, seen in previous exhibitions of the work of such
architects as Lebbeus Woods and Zaha Hadid. In addition, examining his representations
of people and body parts as built structures informs the investigation of
the relationship between the body--and, by extension, sexuality--and buildings.
His work calls into question the boundaries between what has been considered
fine art and the vernacular. Rizzoli's utopian images build on a theme seen throughout the history of architecture, but his eclectic style is unique. Bay Area influences are evident in the turn-of-the-century flourishes and inspirations from the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. The drawings combine Beaux-Arts architectural elements with motifs borrowed from Roman, Renaissance, Baroque, Art Deco, and Art Nouveau styles, creating an intricate fusion that remarkably avoids parody. Far from being a satirist, Rizzoli assigned himself the title of "earthly architect assistant and transcriber" to God. The sometimes cryptic texts incorporated as design elements into his drawings were most likely intended to elucidate Rizzoli's unearthly vision. This exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue which is available at the MuseumStore. To order please call 415/357.4035 or email museumstore@sfmoma.org. |
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A.G.Rizzoli: Architect of Magnificent Visions is organized and circulated by the San Diego Museum of Art. The national tour is made possible by a generous gift from Robert P. and Courtney Snowden. Additional support is provided by Drew and Arthur Gensler. Copyright © 1996-2008 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 
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