"Masters of Italian Graphics from Pietro Monaco (1748) to the XXI Century"

This exhibition presents to the Chinese public a series of examples of what the Italian artistic genius could produce in the last 300 years.

Italy is the land of artistic creation, so it would be impossible to give a complete account of it; thousands of masterpieces are disseminated in museums, private collections and archives of the entire world. We can therefore say that this exhibition is an ‘appetizer’ of what the Chinese art lovers could taste if they go to Italy.

Proceeding in chronological order, the most ancient work of art on display is a rare engraving by the famous artist Pietro Monaco (XVIII century). It represents an episode from the Bible: but the biblical story is only a pretext for the artist to express his mastery of drawing and etching. The study of the human body was an integral part of art studies and Italians have led the art of depicting it, from Michelangelo and the other Renaissance masters to the contemporary artists.

The XIX century is represented by a delightful gouache attributed to the Roman painter Luigi Cochetti (1802-1884). He is an exponent of the so-called “Neo-Classical” period of Art; the young man with gouache has grape leaves on his head, mimicking the Latin mythical figure “Bacchus” and transmitting emotions of joy and beauty so typical of the Italian youth.

Both these masterpieces set the precedents for the extraordinary production of art works in Italy’s XX century, here represented by many good examples of famous Italian artists. The most famous of them are Mino Maccari and Venanzo Crocetti, a painter and a sculptor.

The two works by Maccari are humoristic engravings: a caricatural portrait of the famous painter De Chirico and a satirical scene of roman women.

Venanzo Crocetti is already quite famous in Shanghai, after the very successful exhibition of his sculptures at the Shanghai Modern Art Museum in 2006. Here are displayed two of his engravings, which he was using as a base for his sculptures.

Thanks to the contribution of the Italian architect Tiziana Leopizzi, Director of the Italian Art organization “Ellequadro Documenti”, who organized the exhibition “ARTOUR-O - MuST” - ( Museo Shop Temporaneo ) in Shanghai in 2007, we can appreciate the gentle and the strong works by a sextet of artists whose fame in Italy is successfully growing: Giannakoulas, with her intricacies and symbolic mazes; Mazza, Giua and Canuti, ironical and essential, with minimalist works on display; Pescador, a fairy-teller, a reporter of daily objects re-interpreted as sacred items; last but not least, the mixed media by Franco De Courten, a magnificent creator of elegant collages and works on paper. The presence of Ellequadro Documenti in this exhibition is a good omen for the 2008 edition of “ARTOUR-O – MuST”, which Leopizzi plan to hold in Autumn.

The other artists on display are historical figures such as Sinisca, who leads the transition from the XX century to the XXI century with his futuristic works; Fedeli, already known to Shanghai art lovers after an exhibition organized at the Shanghai Sculpture Space in 2007; Pippo Borrello, very popular in Italy for his “football” series; Battisti, who uses abstract watercolors to illustrate ancient Chinese poems; Polidori, who uses computer images and techniques to de-compose images of Italian towns and confront the original image with a puzzle of its elements.

A separate comment is due for the great artist and master Nico Nicosia, a professor of engravings at the “Istituto per l’arte del Libro” of Urbino. This splendid ancient town has been the source of inspiration for the students of his school: Benni, Lucardelli and Paolucci.

From private collections are also displayed the “dreaming towers” by Paolo Fiorentino, so appropriate to the skyline of Shanghai, and the nostalgic, aerial works by Stabile.

A delicate gouache by the painter Rita Sale synthetically concludes this series of works, with the depiction of a classical scene: a woman offering a piece of Chinese silk as a sign of farewell and the hope of a future re-encounter.