Arshile Gorky 1904-1948' accompanies the first Italian museum survey on the career of a
leading American painter of Armenian origin. Reproducing over eighty paintings and works on
paper from the exhibition at the Ca' Pesaro in Venice this book also features three essays on
the artist. Saskia Spender president of the Arshile Gorky Foundation intimately traces the
life of the prolific autodidact reflecting upon Gorky's influence during his lifetime and
beyond. Edith Devaney curator at the Royal Academy of Arts London focuses on the strength of
Gorky's artistic voice and singular hand in his earliest paintings. Gabriella Belli director
Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia maps out Gorky's posthumous and influential presence in
Italy through various editions of Venice Biennales exhibitions writings and critical
reception. Gorky's impact as a beacon of twentieth-century art is the legacy that the
exhibition and the catalogue seek to bring forward.
