An exhibition of Italian avant-garde art will be on view at the Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University from Oct. 3 to Dec. 8. The exhibition, Arte Povera: Selections from the Sonnabend Collection, will draw together major works by Giovanni Anselmo, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Giulio Paolini, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Mario Schifano and Gilbert Zorio, most of which have been rarely exhibited in the U.S.

In the late 1960s a number of artists working in Italy produced one of the most authentic and independent artistic interventions in Europe. Grouped together under the term "Arte Povera" in 1967 by the critic Germano Celant in reference to the use of materials—natural and elemental—the artists delivered a powerful and timely critique of late modernism, specifically minimalism.

The exhibition at the Wallach Art Gallery seeks to explore the group's unique contribution to postwar art, while re-evaluating Celant's early categorization of the artists' works. It emphasizes conceptual themes rather than material similarities, presenting a more inclusive approach. At the same time, it provides a rare opportunity to introduce U.S. audiences to key works, many of which have never been shown outside of Europe.

The works span a diversity of media ranging from Anselmo's Direzione (Direction), 1967-69—a found granite slab with a compass needle inserted—to Pistoletto's Uomo seduto (Seated Man), 1962-63—a peculiar combination of photography, painting and collage in which a life-sized image of the artist, traced from a photograph onto thin, translucent paper, is glued on an otherwise empty mirrored panel.

The exhibition is drawn from the rich holdings of the gallerist Illeana Sonnabend. Sonnabend has long been recognized as one of the foremost collectors and promoters of American art from the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. Lesser-known is her devotion to an entirely different artistic phenomenon—the Italian neo-avant-garde--which is equally impressive. Striking in its comprehensiveness, the collection was assembled by Sonnabend and her husband, Michael.

Claire Gilman, a Ph.D. candidate in Columbia's department of art history and archeology, curated the exhibition. In conjunction with the show, the Wallach Art Gallery will publish a fully illustrated catalogue.

A symposium and panel discussion on the subject will take place on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 1 to 5 p.m. Participants include Emily Braun, Benjamin Buchloh, Briony Fer, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Marcia E. Vetrocq and Anthony White, along with Gilman.

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery is located in Schermerhorn Hall, 8th floor, at Broadway and 116th Street. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. (closed the week of Thanksgiving); admission is free. For more information, please call (212) 854-2877.

Merz: Cera e Gomma (Wax and Rubber), 1968 Michelangelo Pistoletto: Uoma seduto (Seated Man), 1962-63

Michelangelo Pistoletto: Marzia con Bambina (Marzia with Child), 1962-64 Mario Schifano: Tempo Moderno (Modern Times), 1962

Gilberto Zorio: Per purificare le parole (To Purify Words), 1969