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Futurism

May 2023
FRANCESCA MOLTENI
Futurism

A city of art and culture, Milan claims many hidden records. As of 1 October 2022, it is also home to the world’s most important collection of Futurism at the Museo del Novecento in Piazza Duomo.

Located in the heart of the city, Palazzo dell'Arengario – designed by Griffini, Magistretti, Muzio, and Portaluppi – and later renovated by Italo Rota, is host to collections of 20th-century Italian art that help to spread knowledge of the artistic heritage of those years.

A collection of 26 works by Italian artists, which belonged to Milanese entrepreneur Gianni Mattioli, opens the exhibition. Left on free loan by the grandson of the great collector, it is now on display in the Galleria del Futurismo.

Museo del Novecento, Galleria del Futurismo - PH. Margherita Gnaccolini Museo del Novecento, Galleria del Futurismo - PH. Margherita Gnaccolini

The exhibition project has been revamped, defining new parameters in the dialogue between the artworks and the space inside Sala delle Colonne. The Corian partitions have been removed, as has the tapestry on the walls, now replaced with a bright light grey hue. The hall thus regains its monumentality, with a setup and lighting system by Italo Rota with Alessandro Pedretti. The only element of décor comes from Anton benches in pewter and leather, designed by Vincent Van Duysen for Molteni&C, positioned in the centre of the Gallery to allow visitors to peacefully contemplate the collection.

The small room at the entrance has been transformed into an open space that introduces futurist poetics with the manifestos - a fundamental instrument for spreading the movement's ideas and art - and works on paper by Antonio Sant'Elia and Giacomo Balla. The futurist masterpieces are displayed according to the technical-pictorial evolution of the masters, but also the thematic and stylistic proximity of their works. As for Umberto Boccioni's famous sculpture Forme Uniche della Continuità nello Spazio, and the paintings Dinamismo di un ciclista and Dinamismo di un corpo umano. And then Materia, a portrait the artist made of his mother, and the sketch of La città che sale. In succession, we find Manifestazione interventista by Carlo Carrà; dances depicted by Gino Severini in La Chahuteuse and Ballerina blu; and works by Giacomo Balla, Amedeo Modigliani, Mario Sironi, and Giorgio Morandi.

Gianfranco Maraniello, the new director of Milan's Area Musei d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea from the end of May 2022, is working on “an organic map and a new identity to which all the museums in the area will contribute, identifying the historical legacy and the perceived and perceptible identity of each one”. Because Milan is still a city rich in surprises, full of energy and a desire to attract audiences who love art in all its forms.

Sala Carlo Carrà, Arturo Martini e Mario Sironi - PH Margherita Gnaccolini Sala Carlo Carrà, Arturo Martini e Mario Sironi - PH Margherita Gnaccolini
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