Francesco Vezzoli Brings the Lost Spaces of Casa Iolas Back to Life

Upon the death of Max Ernst in 1976, Costantino Koutsoudis, aka Alexander Iolas, closed all his galleries in Europe to maintain the promise he had made to the artist. His dream of displaying his inestimable collection of masterpieces had already taken form in his home in Athens where the flamboyant Greek art dealer - capable of mesmerising the high-cultured salons of the world in five different languages with his unquestionable savoir faire, thus steering the art market of the second half of the 1900s - had created a dialogue among ancient works from Greece, Egypt, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Orient with pieces from the most important artists of the Modern Era. Built in the popular neighbourhood of Aghia Paraskevi and completely covered in white marble, Villa Iolas was the manifestation of the passion of this visionary art merchant, one of the first to create an international system of satellite galleries, as well as introducing Surrealism in the United States. However, after his death, his priceless art collection was dispersed far and wide and went virtually forgotten in the void of history. The exhibition Casa Iolas. Citofonare Vezzoli, intends to shine a light once again, through the viewpoint of Vezzoli, upon those lost spaces of Casa Iolas, allowing visitors to rediscover a beacon of the art market of the 1900s. Presenting the works of numerous artists exhibited by Alexander Iolas - from William N. Copley to Giorgio de Chirico, from Niki de Saint Phalle to Max Ernst, from Lucio Fontana to Paul Klee - the Milanese gallery seeks to re-evoke the life and character of this amazing person, paying homage to this almost-forgotten giant.