Guggenheim Museum Presents Unprecedented Survey of Italian Futurism Opening in February First Comprehensive Overview of the Influential Movement to Be Shown in the U.S. Featuring Over 360 Works, Including Several Never Before Seen Outside of Italy Exhibition: Venue: Location: Dates: Media Preview: Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York Full rotunda and ramps, High Gallery, Annex Levels 5 and 7 February 21–September 1, 2014 Thursday, February 20, 10 am–1 pm (NEW YORK, NY – January 16, 2014) — From February 21 through September 1, 2014, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum presents Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe, the first comprehensive overview in the United States of one of Europe’s most important 20th-century avantgarde movements. Featuring over 360 works by more than 80 artists, architects, designers, photographers, and writers, this multidisciplinary exhibition examines the full historical breadth of Futurism, from its 1909 inception with the publication of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti’s first Futurist manifesto through its demise at the end of World War II. The exhibition includes many rarely seen works, some of which have never traveled outside of Italy. It encompasses not only painting and sculpture, but also the advertising, architecture, ceramics, design, fashion, film, free-form poetry, photography, performance, publications, music, and theater of this dynamic and often contentious movement that championed modernity and insurgency. The exhibition is organized by Vivien Greene, Senior Curator, 19th- and Early 20th-Century Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. An international advisory committee composed of eminent scholars from many disciplines provided expertise and guidance in the preparation of this thorough exploration of the Futurist movement, a major modernist expression that in many ways remains little known among American audiences. This exhibition is made possible by Lavazza. Support is provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the David Berg Foundation, with additional funding from the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, The Robert Lehman Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts. The Leadership Committee for Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe is also gratefully acknowledged for its generosity, including the Hansjörg Wyss Charitable Endowment; Stefano and Carole Acunto; Giancarla and Luciano Berti; Ginevra Caltagirone; Massimo and Sonia Cirulli Archive; Daniela Memmo d’Amelio; Achim Moeller, Moeller Fine Art; Pellegrini Legacy Trust; and Alberto and Gioietta Vitale. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. About Futurism Futurism was launched in 1909 against a background of growing economic and social upheaval. In Marinetti’s “The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism,” published in Le Figaro, he outlined the movement’s key aims, among them: to abolish the past, to champion modernization, and to extol aggression. Although it began as a literary movement, Futurism soon embraced the visual arts as well as advertising, fashion, music and theater, and it spread throughout Italy and beyond. The Futurists rejected stasis and tradition and drew inspiration from the emerging industry, machinery, and speed of the modern metropolis. The first generation of artists created works characterized by dynamic movement and fractured forms, aspiring to break with existing notions of space and time to place the viewer at the center of the artwork. Extending into many mediums, Futurism was intended to be not just an artistic idiom but an entirely new way of life. Central to the movement was the concept of the opera d’arte totale or “total work of art,” in which the viewer is surrounded by a completely Futurist environment. More than two thousand individuals were associated with the movement over its duration. In addition to Marinetti, central figures include: artists Giacomo Balla, Benedetta (Benedetta Cappa Marinetti), Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, Fortunato Depero, and Enrico Prampolini; poets and writers Francesco Cangiullo and Rosa Rosà; architect Antonio Sant’Elia; composer Luigi Russolo; photographers Anton Giulio Bragaglia and Tato (Guglielmo Sansoni); dancer Giannina Censi; and ceramicist Tullio d’Albisola. These figures and other lesser-known ones are represented in the exhibition. Futurism is commonly understood to have had two phases: “heroic” Futurism, which lasted until around 1916, and a later incarnation that arose after World War I and remained active until the early 1940s. Investigations of “heroic” Futurism have predominated and comparatively few exhibitions have explored the subsequent life of the movement; until now, a comprehensive overview of Italian Futurism had yet to be presented in the U.S. Italian art of the 1920s and ’30s is little known outside of its home country, due in part to a taint from Futurism’s sometime association with Fascism. This association complicates the narrative of this avant-garde and makes it all the more necessary to delve into and clarify its full history. Exhibition Overview Italian Futurism unfolds chronologically, juxtaposing works in different mediums as it traces the myriad artistic languages the Futurists employed as their practice evolved over a 35-year period. The exhibition begins with an exploration of the manifesto as an art form, and proceeds to the Futurists’ catalytic encounter with Cubism in 1911, their exploration of near-abstract compositions, and their early efforts in photography. Ascending the rotunda levels of the museum, visitors follow the movement’s progression as it expanded to include architecture, clothing, design, dinnerware, experimental poetry, and toys. Along the way, it gained new practitioners and underwent several stylistic evolutions—shifting from the fractured spaces of the 1910s to the machine aesthetics (or arte meccanica) of the ’20s, and then to the softer, lyrical forms of the ’30s. Aviation’s popularity and nationalist significance in 1930s Italy led to the swirling, often abstracted, aerial imagery of Futurism’s final incarnation, aeropittura. This novel painting approach united the Futurist interest in nationalism, speed, technology, and war with new and dizzying visual perspectives. The fascination with the aerial spread to other mediums, including ceramics, dance, and experimental aerial photography. The exhibition is enlivened by three films commissioned from documentary filmmaker Jen Sachs, which use archival film footage, documentary photographs, printed matter, writings, recorded declamations, and musical compositions to represent the Futurists’ more ephemeral work and to bring to life their words-in-freedom poems. One film addresses the Futurists’ evening performances and events, called serate, which merged “high” and “low” culture in radical ways and broke down barriers between spectator and performer. Mise-en-scène installations evoke the Futurists’ opera d’arte totale interior ensembles, from those executed for the private sphere to those realized under Fascism. Italian Futurism concludes with the five monumental canvases that compose the Syntheses of Communications (1933–34) by Benedetta (Benedetta Cappa Marinetti), which are being shown for the first time outside of their original location. One of few public commissions awarded to a Futurist in the 1930s, the series of paintings was created for the Palazzo delle Poste (Post Office) in Palermo, Sicily. The paintings celebrate multiple modes of communication, many enabled by technological innovations, and correspond with the themes of modernity and the “total work of art” concept that underpinned the Futurist ethos. Exhibition Catalogue A fully illustrated, 352-page catalogue accompanies Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe. Featuring the work of nearly thirty scholars, it offers an important contribution to the understanding of this major avant-garde movement of the 20th century. Edited by exhibition curator Vivien Greene, the book begins with three introductory essays: an overview of Futurism, an analysis of its historiography, and an investigation of its social and political context. It is then structured like a microhistory, with short texts focusing on specific artists, series, and moments to present a selection of Futurism’s many facets. A hardcover edition priced at $60 and a softcover edition priced at $40 will be available at the museum shop and online at guggenheimstore.org, and distributed in the United States through ARTBOOK | D.A.P. Education and Public Programs Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe is accompanied by a range of public programs, including a series of lectures by Futurist scholars, a gallery program, film screenings, and performances by Luciano Chessa and Daniele Lombardi. For complete information about the programs presented in conjunction with the exhibition, please visit guggenheim.org/calendar. Futurism Lecture Series In this lively series, distinguished scholars present current research on a range of significant themes, artists, and disciplines within Italian Futurism including: the art and theories of Tactilism; machine aesthetics; and World War I and female Futurist writers and artists. An exhibition viewing follows each program. $12, $8 members, free for students with RSVP. “Touch without Sight: Futurist Tattilismo” Tuesday, April 1, 6:30 pm Emily Braun, Distinguished Professor, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) “Ivo Pannaggi, Arte Meccanica, and the International Avant-Garde” Wednesday, May 7, 6:30 pm Christine Poggi, Professor of the History of Art, University of Pennsylvania “War, Women, and Sexuality in the Futurist Avant-Garde” Tuesday, May 20, 6:30 pm Lucia Re, Professor of Italian and Gender Studies, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Curator’s Eye Tours Fridays, 2 pm Free with museum admission March 21: Natalia Lauricella April 4: Vivien Greene* May 16: Natalia Lauricella* June 27: Susan Thompson July 18: Vivien Greene August 22: Susan Thompson *Tour interpreted in American Sign Language Mind’s Eye Programs Mondays, March 3, April 7, 6:30 pm Wednesdays, March 12, April 9, 2 pm For visitors who are blind or have low vision, tours and workshops focused on Italian Futurism, 1909– 1944: Reconstructing the Universe are presented through Verbal Description, touch, and sound. Free with RSVP. For more information, visit guggenheim.org/mindseye. About Lavazza Lavazza prides itself on being Italy’s leading coffee brand and manufacturer. The company, founded in 1895, has been led by the Lavazza family for over a century of business, and currently operates in more than ninety countries. Looking to the future, Lavazza seeks to make a second home in the United States and expand its presence across the globe. With a long history of support for the arts, including Renaissance art, photography, design, and music, Lavazza now joins the Guggenheim’s efforts to promote greater understanding of Futurism. Through its sponsorship of the exhibition Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe, Lavazza supports an art movement vital to its home country of Italy while also reaching an international audience. About the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation Founded in 1937, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of art, primarily of the modern and contemporary periods, through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The Guggenheim network that began in the 1970s when the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, was joined by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, has since expanded to include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (opened 1997) and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (currently in development). Looking to the future, the Guggenheim Foundation continues to forge international collaborations that take contemporary art, architecture, and design beyond the walls of the museum. More information about the foundation can be found at guggenheim.org. VISITOR INFORMATION Admission:: Adults $22, students/seniors (65+) $18, members and children under 12 free. Available with admission or by download to personal devices, the Guggenheim’s new, free app offers an enhanced visitor experience. The app features content on special exhibitions, access to more than 1,200 works in the Guggenheim’s permanent collection, and information about the museum’s landmark building. Verbal Imaging guides for select exhibitions are also included for visitors who are blind or have low vision. The Guggenheim app is sponsored by Bloomberg. Museum Hours:: Sunday–Wednesday, 10 am–5:45 pm; Friday, 10 am–5:45 pm; Saturday, 10 am–7:45 pm; closed Thursday. On Saturdays, beginning at 5:45 pm, the museum hosts “Pay What You Wish.” For general information, call 212 423 3500 or visit the museum online at: guggenheim.org guggenheim.org/connect For publicity images visit guggenheim.org/pressimages. User ID: photoservice Password: presspass #1329 January 16, 2014 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT Betsy Ennis, Director, Media and Public Relations Keri Murawski, Senior Publicist Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum 212 423 3840 pressoffice@guggenheim.org EXHIBITION ADVISORY COMMITTEE LENDERS TO THE EXHIBITION Walter L. Adamson Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Intellectual History, Emory University, Atlanta Giovanni Lista Directeur de Recherche, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Paris Silvia Barisione Curator, The Wolfsonian–Florida International University, Miami Beach Adrian Lyttelton Senior Adjunct Professor of European Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies Bologna Center Gabriella Belli Direttore, Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia; Storica dell’arte Laura Mattioli Storica dell’arte Dr. Günter Berghaus Senior Research Fellow, University of Bristol Lisa Panzera Senior Director, McCaffrey Fine Art, New York Emily Braun Distinguished Professor, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) Marta Braun Director, Graduate Program in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management, Ryerson University, Toronto Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli Soprintendente, Galleria nazionale d’arte moderna e contemporanea, Rome Collection of Renzo Arbore, Rome Libreria Antiquaria Pontremoli, Milan Archivi Gerardo Dottori, Perugia Collection of Luce Marinetti, Rome Archivio Galleria Campari, Milan The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Merrill C. Berman Collection Collection C. L. M. Seeber Michahelles, Rome Biagiotti Cigna Foundation, Guidonia, Italy Moeller Fine Art, New York – Berlin Casa Cavazzini, Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Udine, Italy Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, New York Eugenia Paulicelli Professor of Italian, Comparative Literature, and Women’s Studies, Queens College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) Centre Pompidou, Paris, Musée national d’art moderne/Centre de création industrielle Maria Antonella Pelizzari Professor of Art History, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) Civico Gabinetto dei Disegni–Castello Sforzesco, Milan Christine Poggi Professor of the History of Art, University of Pennsylvania Ester Coen Professore di Storia dell’Arte Contemporanea, Università degli Studi dell’Aquila We are especially grateful for the exceptional collaboration of MART, Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Italy, and Poste Italiane. Marina Pugliese Direttore, Museo del Novecento, Milan Museo Storico dell’Aeronautica Militare, Rome Museo Teatrale alla Scala, Milan Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid George Eastman House, Rochester, New York The Museum of Modern Art, New York Estorick Collection, London Anna Maria Ruta Storica dell’arte Flavio Fergonzi Professore di Storia dell’Arte Contemporanea, Università di Udine, Italy Michelangelo Sabatino, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, University of Houston Daniela Fonti Professore di Storia dell’Arte Contemporanea, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza” Claudia Salaris Storica delle avanguardie Galleria nazionale d’arte moderna e contemporanea, Rome 8 Museo del Novecento, Milan Corkin Gallery, Toronto Massimo Duranti Critico d’arte; Presidente, Archivi Gerardo Dottori, Perugia Emilio Gentile Professore emerito, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza” Museo Civico di Cuneo, Italy Comune di Perugia, Museo civico di Palazzo della Penna Lucia Re Professor of Italian and Gender Studies, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Jeffrey T. Schnapp Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures; Faculty Director, metaLAB (at) Harvard; Faculty Codirector, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. Musée de Grenoble, France Massimo and Sonia Cirulli Archive, New York Enrico Crispolti Professore emerito di Storia dell’Arte Contemporanea; Direttore della Scuola di Specializzazione in Storia dell’Arte, Università degli Studi di Siena Simonetta Fraquelli Independent Curator Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris Österreichisches Theatermuseum, Vienna Fondazione Carima–Museo Palazzo Ricci, Macerata, Italy Pinacoteca Civica di Como, Italy Fondazione Echaurren Salaris, Rome Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan Fonds Alberto Sartoris, Archives de la construction moderne– Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland Touring Club Italiano Archive, Milan Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Università di Pisa Ventura Collection, Rome Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Roma Capitale Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal, Germany Galleria Civica di Modena, Italy The Wolfsonian–Florida International University, Miami Beach GAM, Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin Wolfsoniana–Fondazione regionale per la Cultura e lo Spettacolo, Genoa The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut Collection of Giorgio Grillo, Florence Private collection, Foligno, Italy The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice Private collection, Rome Isisuf, Istituto Internazionale di Studi sul Futurismo, Milan Private collection, Switerzland Collection Leoni, Erba, Italy Private collectors who wish to remain anonymous 9 Press Images Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe February 21–September 1, 2014 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Online Photo Service for Press Images Images for current exhibitions may be downloaded free of charge through our website. • Visit guggenheim.org/pressimages • Enter the following username and password: Username: photoservice Password: presspass • Select the desired exhibition All images cleared for press are available in either jpeg or tiff format. All images are accompanied by full caption and copyright information. The publication of images is permitted only for press purposes and with the corresponding credit lines. Images may not be cropped, detailed, overprinted, or altered. E-mail pressoffice@guggenheim.org with any questions. Giacomo Balla The Hand of the Violinist (The Rhythms of the Bow) (La mano del violinista [I ritmi dell’archetto]), 1912 Oil on canvas, 56 x 78.3 cm Estorick Collection, London © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome 1 | Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe Umberto Boccioni Elasticity (Elasticità), 1912 Oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm Museo del Novecento, Milan © Museo del Novecento, Comune di Milano (all legal rights reserved) Photo: Luca Carrà Umberto Boccioni Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (Forme uniche della continuità nello spazio), 1913 (cast 1949) Bronze, 121.3 x 88.9 x 40 cm The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Lydia Winston Malbin, 1989 © The Metropolitan Museum of Art Image Source: Art Resource, New York Giacomo Balla Abstract Speed + Sound (Velocità astratta + rumore), 1913–14 Oil on unvarnished millboard in artist’s painted frame, 54.5 x 76.5 cm The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice 76.2553.31 © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome Photo: Courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York Luigi Russolo “The Art of Noises: Futurist Manifesto” (“L’arte dei rumori: Manifesto futurista”) Leaflet (Milan: Direzione del Movimento Futurista, 1913), 29.2 x 23 cm Wolfsoniana - Fondazione regionale per la Cultura e lo Spettacolo, Genoa By permission of heirs of the artist Photo: Courtesy Wolfsoniana - Fondazione regionale per la Cultura e lo Spettacolo, Genoa Carlo Carrà Interventionist Demonstration (Manifestazione Interventista), 1914 Tempera, pen, mica powder, paper glued on cardboard, 38.5 x 30 cm Gianni Mattioli Collection, on long-term loan to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome Photo: Courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York 2 | Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe Francesco Cangiullo Large Crowd in the Piazza del Popolo (Grande folla in Piazza del Popolo), 1914 Watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper, 58 x 74 cm Private collection © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome Ivo Pannaggi Speeding Train (Treno in corsa), 1922 Oil on canvas, 100 x 120 cm Fondazione Carima–Museo Palazzo Ricci, Macerata, Italy Photo: Courtesy Fondazione Cassa di risparmio della Provincia di Macerata Fortunato Depero Heart Eaters (Mangiatori di cuori), 1923 Painted wood, 36.5 x 23 x 10 cm Private collection © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome Photo: Vittorio Calore Fortunato Depero Little Black and White Devils, Dance of Devils (Diavoletti neri e bianchi, Danza di diavoli), 1922–23 Pieced wool on cotton backing, 184 x 181 cm MART, Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Italy © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome Photo: © MART, Archivio fotografico 3 | Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe Enrico Prampolini and Maria Ricotti, with cover by Enrico Prampolini Program for the Theater of Futurist Pantomime (Théâtre de la Pantomine Futuriste) Illustrated leaflet (Paris: M. et J. De Brunn, 1927), 27.5 x 22.7 cm Fonds Alberto Sartoris, Archives de la Construction Moderne–Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland By permission of heirs of the artist Photo: Jean-Daniel Chavan Bruno Munari and Torido Mazzotti Antipasti Service (Piatti Servizio Antipasti), 1929–1930 Glazed earthenware (manufactured by Casa Giuseppe Mazzotti, Albisola Marina), six plates: 21.6 cm diameter each; one vase: 11.7 × 7.6 cm The Wolfsonian-Florida International University, Miami Beach, The Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Collection © Bruno Munari, courtesy Corraini Edizioni Photo: Lynton Gardiner Filippo Masoero Descending over Saint Peter (Scendendo su San Pietro), ca. 1927–37 (possibly 1930–33) Gelatin silver print, 24 x 31.5 cm Touring Club Italiano Archive Mino Somenzi, ed., with words-in-freedom image Airplanes (Aeroplani) by Pino Masnata Futurismo 2, no. 32 (Apr. 16, 1933) Journal (Rome, 1933), 64 x 44 cm Fonds Alberto Sartoris, Archives de la Construction Moderne–Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland Photo: Jean-Daniel Chavan 4 | Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe Gerardo Dottori Cimino Home Dining Room Set (Sala da pranzo di casa Cimino), early 1930s Table, chairs, buffet, lamp, and sideboard; wood, glass, crystal, copper with chrome plating, leather, dimensions variable Private collection © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome Photo: Daniele Paparelli, Courtesy Archivi Gerardo Dottori, Perugia, Italy Tullio Crali Before the Parachute Opens (Prima che si apra il paracadute), 1939 Oil on panel, 141 x 151 cm Casa Cavazzini, Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Udine, Italy © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome Photo: Claudio Marcon, Udine, Civici Musei e Gallerie di Storia e Arte 5 | Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe Benedetta (Cappa Marinetti) Synthesis of Aerial Communications (Sintesi delle comunicazioni aeree), 1933–34 Tempera and encaustic on canvas, 324.5 x 199 cm Il Palazzo delle Poste di Palermo, Sicily, Poste Italiane © Benedetta Cappa Marinetti, used by permission of Vittoria Marinetti and Luce Marinetti’s heirs Photo: AGR/Riccardi/Paoloni
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