March 19 – July 3 2016.
A monographic exhibition dedicated to the painter Gino Severini (Cortona 1883 – Paris 1966)

From Divisionism to Futurism, from Cubism to Classicism. Severini’s creatives seasons at Villa dei Capolavori, through 100 works, among which 25 never shown in Italy before.

The exhibition at Magnani Rocca Foundation in Mamiano di Traversetolo (Parma) from March 19 to July 3 2016, curated by Daniela Fonti and Stefano Roffi, intends to celebrate Gino Severini’s whole activity – pupil of Giacomo Balla, to whom the Foundation has recently mounted an exhibition of resounding success. The exhibition will not focus just on the period of Severini’s adhesion to Futurism and Cubism, which would be followed by interesting phases, but not crucial, for Twentieth century artistic language, according to some evaluations made by critics. As the matter of fact, it is unanimous the awareness that Severini’s artistic path follows, in its entirety, the perfect development as Twentieth century protagonist, exactly in its subdivision and in the troubled research of the “perfection in contemporaneity”. At first Severini was attracted to avant-garde’s linguistic break, then concentrated on research of harmonious balance, derived by classical inspiration, but not a meaningless classicist, which will characterize every following season: starting with the rigorous golden section, developed between the ’20th and the ’30th, proceeding with a pictorially more free and extroverted season during the ’40th, to the ’50th and 60th’s neo-Cubism and neo-Futurism recoveries.

Le stagioni di Gino Severini

The exhibition is inspired by the presence of two very important Severini’s paintings, part of Magnani Rocca Foundation’s permanent collection: Danseuse articulée dated 1915, futuristic masterpieces, and the “Mattisean” Still Life with musical instrument, painted in the first half of the Forties, both strongly wanted by the founder Luigi Magnani as part of his Temple of Art. Along with this two works, on the occasion of this exhibition there will be about one hundred Severini’s works, among paintings and works on paper, important in therm of size, among which some preparatory studies, that significantly complete the sequence of paintings on canvas or board. Even twenty five works have never been shown before in Italy, or they have been recently discovered.

Severini’s painting is characterized by a solid preference towards few subjects, that emerge from his beginning, describing the substance of his artistic creativity. This constancy persists during his various expressive seasons: Severini, throughout his maturity period, reintroduced some themes developed in his youth and modified during the avant-garde linguistic experimentalism or during the return of Naturalism. A thematic exhibition, set not in chronological order, but according to the revisit of the main themes, allocated in the museum’s various galleries, following Divisionism, Futurism, Cubism’s influences, that do not cease to be prosperous inspirations during his maturity years. Some themes, peculiar of Twenty century italian painting, both experimentalist and “classic”, have been identified as follows:

Portrait/Mask

Portrait emerges immediately at the beginning of the XX century, during Divisionist period and it continues to be a main subject during Futuristic period (wife, variety show’s singers, family’s portraits), and, partially, during Cubism period. His “success” occurs in the magnificent productions of the second half of the Thirties, with the reworked version of Roman portraits. In this period Severini develops a prolonged attention to Italian Masks theme, that, starting from 1915-16 until his end, remains the central theme of the work for Léonce Rosenberg and of the fresco realized in Salottino di Montegufoni (1921-22), which moves up, in advance of 10 years, the rediscover of “mural painting”.

Dance

The theme that best distinguishes his Futuristic language. During this period Severini realizes many works, at first with a descriptive-kinetic feature (the ballerinas of café-chantant) then with a not yet completely abstract formulation, inserted in a cosmic context, in the magnificent series of Espansioni della Luce.

Severini would return to dancing figure, concentrated on classical ballet, at the end of the Forties, with neocubist and neopointilist works, which Severini constantly exhibits at post war Venice Biennials.

Landscape and Still Life

Both themes are present during Severini’s divisionist, futurist and cubist periods, but Still life is the subject that most dominate decades of paintings until the Fifties and the Sixties; a subject through which it is possible to analyze his own vision of the forms of the world and how Severini transforms them.

The exhibition presents a detailed study dedicates to great mural decoration, production that engaged Severini’s activity in an exclusive way, in different moments of his life, as answer to different needs, both private and public purchasers. Some studies are here proposed, like the studies for Tuscan Montegufoni Castle’s decoration, that nowadays hosts the delightful Salottino delle Maschere musicanti (1921-22), in addition to other studies and maquettes, realized for the great commissions received during the Thirties and Forties.

Artist’s book

Fleurs et masques, dated back 1930, represents Severini’s highest contribution in field of artist’s book, which precisely in those years achieved unreachable levels. This book is one of the most admired Twentieth century artist’s book, thanks to the figures, magnificently conceived and realized, which exemplify Severini’s research: it is a musical and theatrical suite, where still lives’s geometries are matched with masks of Commedia dell’arte, classical myths, ruins, antique masks, reaching a high formal result, a sort of metaphysical Déco.

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SEVERINI L’emozione e la regola

19 march – 3 july 2016
Magnani Rocca Foundation, via Fondazione Magnani Rocca 4, Mamiano di Traversetolo (Parma) Italy. Getting here.

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OPENING TIMES

from Tuesday to Friday continuous hours from 10 to 18 – Saturday, Sunday and Holidays continuous hours from 10 to 19. The ticket office is open until 1 hour before museum closing. Close every Monday, except for Easter Monday and 25th April. Admission Prices: € 10,00 for visiting both temporary and permanent collection – € 5,00 school groups.

Info and Group visits booking: tel. 0521 848327 / 848148 Fax 0521 848337 info@magnanirocca.it www.magnanirocca.it Guided tour every Tuesday at 15.30 and every Sunday at 16.00; advanced booking is not necessary, € 13,00 per person (entrance and tour).

Restaurant in the inner court yard of the museum
Exhibition and catalogue (Silvana Editoriale) curated by Daniela Fonti e Stefano Roffi. Essays written by Mauro Carrera, Alice Ensabella, Daniela Fonti, Giovanni Lista, Stefano Roffi.

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PARTNERS

The exhibition is realized thanks to: FONDAZIONE CARIPARMA, CARIPARMA CRÉDIT AGRICOLE.

Media partners: Gazzetta di Parma, Kreativehouse.
Technical Sponsors: Angeli Cornici, Aon Artscope Fine Art Insurance Brokers, Butterfly Transport, Hotel Palace Maria Luigia, SINA Fine Italian Hotels, TEP, Società per la Mobilità e il Trasporto Pubblico.

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