I Marziani. Disegno nell'Arte italiana del XX secolo
from 23 April 2016 to 10 July 2016
Rimini
The King: 9 demenza, 10 1° presa di conoscenza, 11 paura della follia, anni '70
tecnica mista su carta riportata su tavola
70 × 105 cm
Opening in Rimini on 23 April 2016 – as part of the second edition of the Profili del mondo Drawing Biennial – *I Marziani. Drawing in 20th-Century Italian Art*, curated by Irina Zucca Alessandrelli. Featuring over 60 works on paper by 16 of the most important Italian artists of the 20th century – from Medardo Rosso to Mondino, including Wildt, Munari, Tancredi, Rama, Agnetti, Baruchello, and De Dominicis – the exhibition presents to the public for the first time a selection of works from the Ramo Collection in Milan, one of the largest private collections of 20th-century works on paper, established several years ago by the Milanese entrepreneur Giuseppe Rabolini. The exhibition will be open until 10 July at Castel Sismondo, Rimini (www.biennaledisegnorimini.it).
Most of the masterpieces on paper on display have never been exhibited in a museum before, and I Marziani offers an exceptional opportunity both for the public wishing to explore this type of graphic art and for specialists, who have rarely had the chance to admire these works previously. But there are many new features, starting with the chosen theme: ‘I Marziani highlights 16 Italian artists who, due to the significance of their work and the originality of their artistic vision, can be described as anachronistic in relation to the artistic output of their time,’ explains the curator of the Ramo Collection, Irina Zucca Alessandrelli, “Each of them is a model of artistic freedom and faith in their own work, which at times has meant isolation, at others a lack of understanding, and at still others difficulty in gaining a place in the official history of art. These artists appear to be out of step with their own time due to the originality of their styles and the themes they address; they are true meteors for both their contemporaries and posterity. Having revolutionised the very idea of art and remained impervious to market trends, they remained elusive to critics and the public for long periods.”
The exhibition takes the visitor, not without surprises, on a journey to discover the critical reception of these artists, what their contemporaries thought of their art and how we perceive it today, their status as ‘Martians’ at that very time, and the vicissitudes of the critical discourse that, over the years, has brought them to our attention. Through biographical accounts, accompanied by comments and articles from different eras placed amongst the works, *I Marziani* aims to prompt reflection on the fate that each of these great artists encountered, casting the last century in Italy in a new light.
Among these artists, not fully understood by institutions and collectors, and at times neglected by the market whilst they were alive, are names that left their mark on 20th-century Italy, such as: Medardo Rosso, Adolfo Wildt, Cagnaccio di San Pietro, Bruno Munari, Tancredi, Domenico Gnoli, Antonio Calderara, Alik Cavaliere, Carol Rama, Maria Lai, Vincenzo Agnetti, Gianfranco Baruchello, Enrico Baj, Gino De Dominicis and Aldo Mondino. Artists who, in most cases, were not in direct dialogue with one another and spanned different movements and styles, yet who together offer a cross-cutting overview that invites us to rethink certain chapters of Italian art history. The medium through which to discover new visual and intellectual intersections is drawing, which has also significantly engaged those who did not make it their medium of choice and who are little known for their work on paper. The critical acclaim of these ‘Martians’ is the key to understanding the past and broadening our perspective on the present.
‘One need only think of Baruchello, who worked with video, film editing using discarded cinematographic film, assemblages and painting,’ continues Irina Zucca Alessandrelli, ‘or Munari, who moved from industrial design to education, from set design to projections of painting, sculpture and graphic design. Some were only re-evaluated after their deaths; others are still not adequately appreciated or recognised today, as demonstrated by the absence of their works in international museum collections and the scarcity of documentation in national ones. Furthermore, their status as outsiders made it difficult, in hindsight, to create archives that would authenticate and catalogue the artists’ works, as in the case of Munari, Gnoli and Tancredi. Although all the artists in the exhibition received awards and found admirers during their lifetimes, their aesthetic history is still being researched today and their poetics are not yet fully understood.”
The works on display come entirely from the Ramo Collection in Milan, curated by Irina Zucca Alessandrelli, which is being presented to the public for the first time on the occasion of the second edition of the Rimini Drawing Biennial, entitled Profili del mondo, an event which, with 27 exhibitions running until 10 July 2016 and 2,000 works, offers a thematic journey dedicated to drawing that brings together classical and contemporary artists, linked by affinity or inspiration. The Ramo Collection, begun several years ago out of Giuseppe Rabolini’s interest in the line and works on paper, traces the stages of Italian art history starting from drawing, understood not merely as the primary expression of Italian artistic exploration. From the early 20th century onwards, the collection traces the work on paper of the major figures of the historical avant-garde movements right up to the 1990s – not just drawings, but works on paper (watercolours, collages, gouache, pastels) – and the aim of the collection is to bear witness to the great importance of Italian art of the last century and, at the same time, to promote a culture of drawing, with an autonomous value, on a par with painting and sculpture.
The King: 9 demenza, 10 1° presa di conoscenza, 11 paura della follia, anni '70
tecnica mista su carta riportata su tavola
70 × 105 cm
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