Theatricality and the Endgames of Sculpture in the Work of Alik Cavaliere, 1960-1989

This thesis re-examines the practice of postwar Italian artist Alik Cavaliere (1926 - 1998), in light of the artist's private journals. The study constitutes the first substantial English scholarly examination of Cavaliere's work, with extensive excerpts from the journals translated here for the first time. Offering an unprecedented perspective on the development of Cavaliere's practice, the thesis investigates the extent to which the artist engaged with the broader landscape of contemporary art debates in Europe and the United States on the status of sculpture. From the 'death of sculpture' proclaimed by Arturo Martini in 1945 to the transformation of sculpture into monumental-anti-monumental environments in the practices of artists spanning Claes Oldenburg, Arte Povera exponents, and Louise Bourgeois, the study traces the evolution of the medium through the second half of the 20th century. This framework allows for an in-depth exploration of Cavaliere's work as a complex laboratory where contemporary questions concerning the status, boundaries, and ethical implications of sculpture as a semi-performative art form interacting with viewers and the surroundings are dissected and wrestled with. Ultimately, the thesis presents Cavaliere's practice as a case study for examining international developments in sculpture between 1960 and 1989 and for understanding these as a means of showing the contemporary significance of a medium that had been deemed outmoded.