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David Nolan Gallery’s exhibition “Alice in the Land of Violence” presents 16 paintings and 15 drawings by Valerio Adami, most made between 1962 and 1967. The show marks his first New York exhibition in more than 20 years and includes “Hotel Pulitzer,” a work completed this year.
Valerio Adami’s first New York exhibition in more than 20 years has opened at David Nolan Gallery, presenting a selection of paintings and drawings from the Italian artist’s formative 1960s period alongside a new work. Titled “Alice in the Land of Violence,” the exhibition brings together 16 paintings and 15 drawings, offering New York viewers a rare chance to see how Adami combined Pop Art’s outlined forms with distorted, expressive figures.
According to the Hyperallergic review, all but one of the exhibition’s 16 paintings and 15 drawings date from 1962 to 1967. The exception, “Hotel Pulitzer,” was completed this year, when Adami was 91. The review describes the recent painting as showing no loss of acuity, though that is the reviewer’s assessment rather than a measurable finding.
The works demonstrate a style that draws on several movements without fitting neatly into one. Adami uses flat, saturated colors and black outlines associated with Pop Art, while his figures and forms can be fragmented or distorted. The review characterizes the effect as an unsettling ambiguity: shapes and words do not always yield a single, straightforward reading.
The exhibition also marks the opening of David Nolan Gallery’s new Tribeca space. The gallery’s display places work from a concentrated period of Adami’s career beside a painting made decades later, allowing visitors to compare the artist’s early visual language with a recent example.
Adami Beyond Pop Art Labels
The exhibition matters because it presents Adami as more than a figure associated with 1960s Pop Art. The review argues that his work absorbed elements of Surrealism and Expressionism as well as Pop, producing a distinct visual approach rather than simply repeating the styles around him. That framing gives visitors a way to understand why his art can look crisp and controlled while still feeling psychologically unsettled.
For New York audiences, the long gap since Adami’s previous exhibition in the city makes this presentation a significant opportunity to encounter his work in person. The combination of early paintings and drawings with “Hotel Pulitzer” also offers a limited view of how his practice relates across time. The show’s importance rests on what it makes available for direct viewing; the source does not provide visitor numbers, sales information or institutional acquisitions.
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A Career Shaped by Exchange
Adami was born in Bologna in 1935. After graduating from art school in Milan, he moved to Paris in 1955, where he met artists Roberto Matta and Wifredo Lam, according to the review. Those connections help explain some of the work’s fragmented and hybrid imagery, though the exhibition’s visual language is not presented as the product of any single influence.
By the late 1950s, Adami was traveling regularly and spending time in London, New York, South America and India. The report says he formed connections with artists, writers and philosophers including Richard Hamilton, Jim Dine, Oskar Kokoschka, Jacques Derrida, Édouard Glissant and Octavio Paz. The source places the exhibited work in a period of broad international exchange, but does not claim that any one conversation directly produced a particular painting.
““His syncretic style melds Pop Art’s cool, outlined forms with expressionism’s figural distortions, resulting in a perturbing ambiguity.””
— Hyperallergic review
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What the Exhibition Record Leaves Open
The source report does not give the exhibition’s closing date, admission details or public programming. It also does not identify the owners or lenders of individual works, beyond crediting photographs to David Nolan Gallery. The review offers an interpretation of Adami’s style, but the supplied material does not include a statement from the artist or a curator explaining the exhibition’s selection.
The report says “Hotel Pulitzer” was completed this year and that Adami is 91, but does not give the painting’s exact completion date or further information about its subject. It is also unclear whether the exhibition will travel or whether additional New York presentations are planned.
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Gallery Details and Visitor Access
Readers seeking practical information should check David Nolan Gallery’s current exhibition listing for dates, opening hours and access details; those particulars are not included in the source report. The review does not announce a related talk, catalogue or future venue. For now, the confirmed development is the exhibition’s presentation at the gallery’s new Tribeca location, where visitors can see the 1960s works alongside “Hotel Pulitzer.”
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Key Questions
What is “Alice in the Land of Violence”?
It is a David Nolan Gallery exhibition of work by Italian artist Valerio Adami, including paintings and drawings from the 1960s and one recent painting.
How many works are in the exhibition?
The source report lists 16 paintings and 15 drawings. It says all but one of the paintings date from 1962 to 1967.
What is the recent work in the show?
The exception to the exhibition’s concentration on 1960s work is “Hotel Pulitzer,” which the report says Adami completed this year at age 91.
How does Adami’s art relate to Pop Art?
The review connects his work to Pop Art through its flat colors and black outlines, while also pointing to Surrealist and Expressionist influences and distorted figures.
Is this Adami’s first New York exhibition?
Not his first ever: the source says it is his first exhibition in New York in more than 20 years.
Source: rss
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