Where is Saint Tropez (2024)
Emilio Isgrò (born 1937), a leading figure in Italian and international conceptual art, revolutionized the language of art through his celebrated erasures. Since the 1960s, his work has transformed the written word into image and reflection, exploring the relationship between language, memory, and identity.
“Where is Saint Tropez” is a conceptual sculpture where Isgrò applies his iconic erasure gesture to a symbolic object—a physical-political globe. Mounted on an elegant black base, the globe displays the entire Western Hemisphere, traversed by dense black lines that partially erase place names and borders.
Isgrò’s erasure questions the world, becoming a critical, poetic, and ironic gesture. The title, “Where is Saint Tropez,” alludes to the loss of geographical, cultural, and identity reference points in an unstable global context.
Isgrò’s recent production features three-dimensional and spatial erasures, inviting viewers to redefine their gaze. His works have achieved prices between €90,000 and €120,000 at auction.
Ongoing institutional interest and his unmistakable language maintain Isgrò’s position among the leading figures of European conceptual art.
His works are held in major collections, including the Centre Pompidou (Paris), Uffizi (Florence), MART Rovereto, GAM Turin, and the National Gallery of Modern Art (Rome).
Retrospettive a Palazzo Reale (Milano), Fondazione Cini (Venezia) e Galleria Nazionale (Roma). Figura chiave nella riflessione su linguaggio e parola scritta nell’arte contemporanea.
