New York City always has plenty of options for art lovers, but it has recently added thought-provoking sculptures along Park Avenue in Murray Hill. Bruno Catalano‘s Travelers have been displayed around the world, turning heads from Italy to Singapore. They’ve finally landed in NYC. Combined with a companion show at Galeries Bartoux, this is the artist’s first major solo exhibition in the United States.
Catalano is the product of many journeys, having been born in Morocco then moving to France at age 10. His family can trace themselves back to Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Spain in the 15th century. They then took refuge in Italy for generations before moving to North Africa. This lineage and lifetime full of migrations has had a profound effect on the artist. His towering men and women are all depicted looking ahead, hurrying to their unknown destinations. Their pieces of luggage hold bodies torn in two together. Fragments are missing from the figures, inspired by a happy accident Catalano had while casting a sculpture in 2004. Those fragments represent the pieces of identity that are lost and gained as we move across the globe.
The surreal bronze figures seem to be disintegrating mid-step and the surrounding environment becomes part of the sculpture. They are dressed casually, even wearing some of the artist’s personal clay-covered aprons. The sculptures are in stark contrast to the many historical marble and bronze pieces traditionally on public display. Instead of celebrating “great men,” Catalano puts a spotlight on everyday people. According to his artist’s statement, “his sculptures are of course forms of wax and bronze, but they are also the expression of an art that is above all democratic. An art that makes each figure a monument to an intimate humanity. Bruno Catalano sees heroes where ordinary men and women stand.” How fitting then for these ethereal “everymen” to make their temporary home in the vibrant city where millions of Americans move to and over a third of the population is foreign born.
Thanks to a collaboration between the Patrons of Park Avenue, Murray Hill Neighborhood Association, and Galeries Bartoux, Catalano’s Travelers will be residing in Manhattan until May 2025. Galeries Bartoux is currently hosting a companion exhibition through June 18, 2024.
Bruno Catalano’s Travelers are now on display along Park Avenue and Galeries Bartoux is hosting a companion exhibition.
The artist has been working on his series Travelers since 1995 and continues to wrestle with the relationship between identity and journeys of all kinds
His works transform and play optical illusions from different angles.
At Galeries Bartoux, “The Traveler’s Cloakroom” includes models of his work and fabrics from his studio that are incorporated into his bronze and marble statues.
The sculptures will be on view until May 2025, but the companion gallery exhibition closes on June 18,2024.
Bruno Catalano: Website | Instagram | Facebook
Patrons of Park Avenue: Website
Galeries Bartoux: Website
All images by Jon Harari, Bruno Catalano, and Galeries Bartoux. My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Jon Harari.
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