Marisa Merz

Marisa Merz was an Italian artist and a leading figure in the Arte Povera movement, which emerged in Italy in the 1960s. She was born in Turin, Italy, and studied painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Turin in the 1940s.

Merz's early work was influenced by Surrealism and the work of Italian artists like Lucio Fontana and Piero Manzoni. In the 1960s, she began to experiment with a range of materials, including copper wire, aluminum foil, and wax, which she used to create delicate, abstract sculptures.

Merz was also known for her use of everyday objects and materials, which she transformed into poetic and evocative works of art. Her works often explored themes of femininity and domesticity, as well as the relationship between the individual and the larger social and cultural context.

Merz was the only female artist associated with the Arte Povera movement, which was dominated by male artists. Despite this, she played a significant role in the development of the movement and was recognized as one of its leading figures.

Merz's work was widely exhibited both in Italy and internationally, and she was the subject of several major retrospectives, including a posthumous exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2017.

Merz died on July 19, 2019, in Turin, Italy, at the age of 93.