We are pleased to announce Casado Santapau’s represented artist Gregor Hildebrandt’s new exhibition at NEO – art & culture lab x VogelART, Nice, France. «Mimmo Rotella & Friends»
Mimmo Rotella & Friends
A tribute to Mimmo Rotella – master of takeoff and leading figure of New Realism.
Twenty years after his death, Mimmo Rotella (Catanzaro, October 7, 1918 – Milan, January 8, 2006) is hailed as one of the most innovative and influential figures in 20th-century art. After graduating from the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples and settling in Rome in 1945, Rotella embarked on a process of experimentation which led him, in 1953, to what he himself described as a true «Zen illumination»: the discovery of the advertising poster as an art form. From this revelation came décollage, a technique opposed to collage, based not on addition but on subtraction and tearing, through which he removed posters from the city walls, reassembled them in his workshop, tore them further by hand or with tools, and then applied them to various supports such as canvas, wood, or sheet metal.
His works are held in the world’s leading museums and collections, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Throughout his career, Rotella participated in the 1964 Venice Biennale, as well as other international exhibitions. In 1960, he joined the Nouveau Réalisme movement, founded by art critic Pierre Restany, which brought together artists such as Yves Klein, Spoerri, Tinguely, César, Arman, Christo, and Niki de Saint Phalle.
The exhibition «Mimmo Rotella & Friends ,» presented at the NEO art & culture lab x Vogel ART in Nice, is a tribute organized by Gregor Hildebrandt , an internationally renowned artist represented by the prestigious Almine Rech and Perrotin galleries, and a great admirer of Rotella’s work. The exhibition unfolds as a dialogue between Rotella’s works and those of contemporary artists who embrace, reinterpret, or critically question his legacy, thus creating a space of resonance between past and present.
At the heart of the «Mimmo Rotella & Friends» exhibition are Rotella’s décollements, which engage in dialogue with the works of fourteen internationally renowned artists.
“Mimmo Rotella & Friends” is not merely a tribute to a historical figure; it is a vibrant space of resonance between past and present. It demonstrates how Rotella’s artistic vision remains alive and continues to shape contemporary visual art and culture by offering a profound and open interpretation of his legacy.
The exhibition was put together in close collaboration with the Rotella family and is being held in Nice, a city with which the master had a special connection.
Artists:
Mimmo Rotella and Barbara Kruger, Bertrand Lavier, Daniele Buetti, Felix Schramm, Francesco Vezzoli, Friedemann Hahn, Gregor Hildebrandt, Isa Genzken, John Baldessari, JR, Katharina Grosse, Lothar Hempel, Rosemarie Trockel, Sissi Farassat
Opening: June 23, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Exhibition dates: June 23 to July 12, 2026
Open Wednesday to Sunday from 2 pm to 7 pm,
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Free entry
NEO art & culture lab x VogelART
6 bis rue Lascaris
06300 Nice
France