Rotella is the first of the three artists qualified as "affichistes". He used/re-used existing materials for his creations long before "recycling" was becoming a prominent discussion. New Yorkers know him from the shows in the Guggenheim Museum and Museum of Modern Art.


The collection of the Chelsea Art Museum consists of very early works of Mimmo Rotella (burned paper stuck on canvas), e.g. from his Marilyn series and advertising posters, as well as "soprapintura" on torn posters, still on their zinc support. Other works in the collection are more recent; his Berlin series and his ready mades, i.e. his oil cans ("Shell" in Japanese is "Rotella"). One of the highlights of our collection was highlighted in a joint exhibition of the graffitti artist José Parla with works of Rotella whom he admired and classified as his godfather.