Family Activity Guide

Level 2
Bianco (White), 1952
Grande bianco (Large White), 1956
Look closely at these two artworks.
How many different kinds of white can you find in
these pictures?
In which artworks on this level did Burri use found
materials that were already (or once) white?
Can you find other places where he added white?
from the artist
I painted every day. It was a way of not having to think
about the war and everything around me.2
Level 6
Grande bianco (Large White), 1974
Burri said he was inspired by his visits to the parched landscape
of Death Valley in California (top right).
He may also have been thinking of the surface cracks on Renaissance
paintings in churches near his hometown in Umbria, Italy (bottom right).
activity: name that color
If you could give names to all the different types and shades
of white in these artworks, what would you call them?
Level 3
Grande sacco BS (Large Sack BS), 1956
Burri started making art when he was confined in a
prisoner-of-war camp in Texas during World War II.
Art supplies were provided by the YMCA or could be
ordered by mail, but Burri also used old sacks instead of
new material. What clues can you find that might tell you
what the burlap in this work was originally used for?
What does Grande bianco make you think of?
activity: necessary art
Imagine that you are in your kitchen and have to make a work of art using only the materials
around you. What would you use? What would you make? Plan your creation here:
reflection
At the beginning of the exhibition we asked:
What is a painting?
In what ways has your answer to the question
changed now that you have seen this exhibition?
Second Sunday Family Tours
Sundays, Oct 11, Nov 8, Dec 13, Jan 10, 10:30 am–12 pm
Join us on the second Sunday of every month for familyfriendly tours that include conversation and creative hands-on
gallery activities. Tours are organized around a single theme
and highlight artworks on view from our permanent collection
and special exhibitions.
For families with children ages 5 and up
$20 per family (includes admission and tour for two adults
and up to four children), $15 members, FREE for Kids Club
Members, Family Members, and Cool Culture families
Oct 11: Unknown Textures
Explore works by artists who use unique materials to create art.
Nov 8: Recipe for Art
See how artists examine their everyday lives in different ways.
Dec 13: A Dash of This, a Splash of That . . .
Learn about artists who like to create works of art by combining
a variety of elements.
Jan 10: All Around the World
View works of art inspired by different places around the world.
Family Tour and Studio Workshop
Sundays, Oct 18, Dec 6, 10:30 am–12:30 pm
Following an interactive gallery tour, family members create
artwork in our studio. Tours are organized around a single
theme and highlight artworks on view from our permanent
collection and special exhibitions.
For families with children ages 5 and up
$30 per family (includes admission, workshop materials, and
tour for two adults and up to four children), $20 members,
FREE for Kids Club Members, Family Members, and Cool
Culture families
Oct 18: Painting without Paint
Take inspiration from artist Alberto Burri and create
“paintings” without paint.
Dec 6: Compose Yourself
Explore the work in Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Painting
and Photo-Poetics: An Anthology and create your own
artistic compositions in our studio.
Guggenheim Family and Kids Club Members enjoy
these programs for FREE.
For more information, visit the Membership Desk, Store,
or guggenheim.org/join, or call 212 423 3535.
Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Painting is made possible by
Support is also provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
The Leadership Committee for the exhibition, chaired by Pilar Crespi Robert and Stephen Robert, Trustee, is gratefully acknowledged for its generosity,
with special thanks to Leonard and Judy Lauder and Maurice Kanbar as well as to Luxembourg & Dayan, Richard Roth Foundation, Alice and Thomas Tisch,
Isabella Del Frate Rayburn, Larry Gagosian, Sigifredo di Canossa, Dominique Lévy, Daniela Memmo d’Amelio, Mitchell-Innes & Nash, Pellegrini Legacy Trust,
ROBILANT+VOENA, Alberto and Stefania Sabbadini, Sperone Westwater, Samir Traboulsi, Alberto and Gioietta Vitale, Baroness Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimo,
and those who wish to remain anonymous.
Additional funding is generously provided by Allegrini Winery, Mapei Group, E. L. Wiegand Foundation, Mondriaan Fund,
the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, La FondazioneNY, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
The Guggenheim Museum acknowledges the collaboration of the Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, Città di Castello, Italy.
The Sackler Center for Arts Education is a gift of the Mortimer D. Sackler Family. Endowment funding is provided by The Engelberg Foundation, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation,
The Elaine Terner Cooper Foundation, and the Esther Simon Charitable Trust.
Educational activities and/or public programs are made possible in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation,
The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, The Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation, and The Hilla von Rebay Foundation.
Funding is also provided by Deutsche Bank; the Edith and Frances Mulhall Achilles Memorial Fund; the Sidney E. Frank Foundation; The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation; Guggenheim Partners, LLC;
the Windgate Charitable Foundation; the Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Foundation; the Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust; and The Barker Welfare Foundation.
Additional support from the Gap Foundation; the Jane A. Lehman and Alan G. Lehman Foundation; the Martha Gaines and Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation;
the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc.; the Henry E. Niles Foundation, Inc.; and the Metzger-Price Fund, Inc. is gratefully acknowledged.
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation thanks the members of the Education Committee for their support.
Notes
1. Alberto Burri, in Stefano Zorzi, Parola di Burri (Turin: Umberto Allemandi, 1995), p. 86.; 2. Burri, in Zorzi, Parola di Burri, p. 14.
All artworks by Alberto Burri © Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, Città di Castello/2015 Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York/SIAE, Rome
Cover: Nero bianco e sacco (Black White and Sack), ca. 1954 (detail). Oil, fabric, burlap, pumice, and PVA on canvas, 125 x 107 cm, Courtesy Galleria Tega, Milan. Photo: Paolo Vandrasch and Romina
Bettega
Inside: Bianco (White), 1952. Oil, enamel, metallic paint, fabric, PVA, tar, paper, thread, and gold leaf on black fabric, 56.5 x 84.8 cm. The Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Harry O. Maryan,
1955. Photo: © The Art Institute of Chicago; Grande bianco (Large White), 1956. Oil, fabric, thread, and PVA on canvas, 151 x 251 cm. Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, Città di Castello,
Italy; Grande sacco BS (Large Sack BS), 1956. Burlap, fabric, thread, acrylic, and PVA on canvas, 150 x 250 cm. Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf. Photo: © Walter Klein, Düsseldorf;
Grande bianco (Large White), 1974. Acrylic and PVA on Celotex, 126 x 211 cm. Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, Città di Castello, Italy; Minsa Craig in Death Valley, California, ca. 1960s.
Photo: Alberto Burri, courtesy Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, Città di Castello, Italy; Piero della Francesca, Polittico della Misericordia (Polyptych of the Misericordia), ca. 1445–67 (detail).
Oil, tempera, and gold leaf on panel, 168 x 91 cm. Museo civico, Sansepolcro, Italy. Photo: Enzo Mattei, courtesy Museo civico, Sansepolcro, Italy
FAMILY ACTIVITY GUIDE
FALL 2015 FAMILY PROGRAMS
Wood, iron, burlap—for me these are the most direct and easiest materials,
because they do not require the use of colors or brushes. —Alberto Burri 1
WHAT IS A PAINTING?
The artist Alberto Burri called his works “paintings,” but he rarely
used paint and brushes in a traditional way. Use this guide to explore
the exhibition and expand your ideas about what a painting can be.