Chaos and Metamorphosis: The Art of Piero Lerda
February 14 – May 10, 2015
playful and cerebral
This exhibition presents a cross-section of the work of Italian artist Piero Lerda (1927 – 2007). Drawing philosophical and literary themes from Jean-Paul Sartre, George Bernanos, Friedrich Nietzsche and others, Lerda wove together recognizable shapes and cryptic recurring symbols to form personal alphabets that he returned to throughout the course of his life. He concerned himself with juxtapositions, seeking to find a balance between order and chaos, good and evil, pessimism and witty irony. Working meticulously in a variety of media such as India ink and wax, acrylic paint and innumerable collage materials from candy wrappers to corrugated cardboard, Lerda created abstract works that are at once playful and cerebral.
The museum also purchased a fully illustrated catalogue(opens in new tab), by Laura Valeri, to accompany the exhibition.
Curator
Laura Valeri, associate curator of European art
Sponsors
The Irwin and Hannah Harvey Family Fund, the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art