Venice, 15th September 2021 – The first greatest anthology ever realized in Venice. Titled “Quella scia di luce lungo il Novecento. Omaggio a Virgilio Guidi” (“That trail of light through the Twentieth century. An ode to Virgilio Guidi”) the famous painter who was born in Rome in 1891 and died in Venice in 1984. The exhibition opens on September 17th, whilst Venice celebrates its 1600 years, and presents the whole artistic path of this Master, who inspired generations of venetian artists, and whose creativity influenced a great part of the last century.
The music of the songwriter Pino Donaggio, another extraordinary contemporary music composer, will be played to guide the public in this unprecedented path.
Included in the official programming of Venezia 1600, the exhibition was organized by the Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa and by the Studio d’Arte GR in partnership with the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti in Ca’ d’Oro.“Quella scia di luce lungo il Novecento. Omaggio a Virgilio Guidi” traces a long and complete journey which stretches between the beginning and the conclusion of the tireless pursuit of the great Master. The first and major anthology ever realized in Venice is made of 220 works of art, in which thirty “Venice” will be on loan from the venetian collection Sonino. The exhibition aims at showing the way in which Virgilio Guidi completely changed the view of the landscape by creating a perfect combination between the idea of the landscape and the idea related to Venice itself. In addition, it also focuses on underlying the way in which Guidi managed to combine the techniqueof renaissance light with the Venetian light in modern painting, representing a synthesis between ideal and physical light.
Several are the exhibition venues in which Guidi’s masterpieces can be admired, such as: the seat of Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa in Saint Mark’s Square, Palazzetto Tito and in Ca’ D’Oro.
In the seat of Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, located in Saint Mark’s Square, eighty are the masterpieces displayed, which dates from the early 10s of the last century.
The exhibition presents early 20s interiors and figures, following with roman and Brenta river landscapes from 1927, ending with the several versions of Venice from the early 20s to the figures of the 30s and 40s. Moreover, it includes the process of documenting the magical period of the post-war Venetian Spatialism, in which cycles representing “Figure”, “Tumulti”, “Cieli antichi”, and the “Marine Zenitali”, not to mention the famous “Baronesse” and concluding with the great late 70s Bianco su Bianco masterpieces. In the main seat of Palazzetto Tito, a painting selection with Guidi’s last 30 years of work is displayed, together with the great selection by Sonino, made up by Marine as well as by marvelous women figures, trees and moving figures, each one of them part of the post-war period.
The exhibition continues at the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti in Ca’ d’Oro. Within the stunning second floor overlooking the loggia on the Grand Canal, some still life paintings dating back to the early 10s will be displayed. Among them: “Carabinieri a cavallo” painted in 1920, “Pittore all’aperto” painted in 1924, “L’Uomo che legge” painted in 1927 and some “Bacino di San Marco”, also painted at the end of 1920s.
The exhibition, curated by Stefano Cecchetto, Giovanni Granzotto and Dino Marangon, will remain open until January 7th.
“At last, in the same year of Venice's 1600 years celebrations, the long-awaited Virgilio Guidi’s exhibition will take place. The Master of Venice, the one who represented, painted, and embodied the city – Granzotto claims -. Guidi represented Venice just like Tintoretto and the vedutisti managed to do. He began with applying to his paintings a renaissance lighting, that kind of lighting which came from within and irradiates the composition. From that lighting, within the Venetian dimension, he discovered the spatial lighting. With this exhibition, thanks to the essential role of several art critics, we aim at showing Guidi’s great artistic path and the influence he had over several generations of masters and artists”.
To know more: www.bevilacqualamasa.it.