Sylvano Bussotti

Critical text

The versatile creations of Sylvano Bussotti (1931, Florence – 2021, Milan) reflect a trans-media approach and the aspiration to formulate a total work of art. The artist is best known for his work in the field of music. His experience as a composer has been driven by a Dionysiac, liberating force, bent on breaking down the boundaries between different genres, registers and languages. Precisely this approach has led him to develop a graphic notation system of great expressive force, so much so that his handwritten musical works can easily be seen as art pieces. Beyond this experience with visual scores, he has produced an extensive oeuvre of drawings, collages and paintings, clearly reflecting the central importance of art history and visual culture in general on his thinking and practice, where the tradition of drawing coexists with a re-semanticization of the pop imaginary. Bussotti was a member of the Academy of Santa Cecilia and the Accademia Filarmonica Romana, and a Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France. He has been the artistic director of the Festival Pucciniano at Torre del Lago, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and the Music Section of the Venice Biennale.

Text by Lorenzo Giusti