Lugano
On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of De Chirico’s death, Repetto Gallery is hosting, for the first time in Ticino, an unprecedented confrontation between the father of Metaphysical painting and a selection of important 20th-century artists who, in different periods and declinations, have been widely inspired by his artistic legacy. An exhibition itinerary that brings together, among 17 paintings and 10 drawings, some of de Chirico’s most significant historical works, such as La commedia e la tragedia, a large oil on canvas of 1926; Le cabine misteriose of 1935; Ettore e Andromaca of 1946/47; to the Piazze d’Italia of the 1940s and 1950s; up to and including a self-portrait, various still lifes and horses. The exhibition, accompanied by a critical text by Andrea Cortellessa, retraces the fascinating and multifaceted creative path of the Pictor Optimus who, from the metaphysical to the baroque period, left indelible traces in the fertile artistic terrain of the first and second post-war period.
Thus a rich nucleus is formed around which some of the most relevant personalities of the international art scene: are emblematic the repeated theatricality of the photographic prints of Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987); the admiration for the great painters of the past expressed by Mario Schifano (1934 – 1998) with the series Homages; the rediscovery of classicism in the works of Giulio Paolini (B. 1940) such as Mimesi of 1975 and the series of collages, dated between 2009 and 2012; the landscapes littered with archaic fragments of Salvo (1947 – 2015); the suspended and revelatory atmospheres captured in the photographs of Luigi Ghirri (1943 – 1992), including Napoli, 1981 and Reggio Emilia,1987. Celebrated followers who, fascinated by the magnetic and visionary nature of his imagery, reworked its archetypes throught artworks stretched between suspensions, dreamlike symbologies and allegorical images, making them timeless guardians of dechirican legacy.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.