Rome, Guttuso and art in Calabria around ‘53

A journey into the heart of the post World War II art scene in Calabria, among established masters, cultural ties and unpublished works: this is the core of the exhibition ‘Artworks, Collections, Contexts. Rome, Guttuso and Art in Calabria around 1953', hosted in the rooms of the Monumental Complex San Giovanni in Catanzaro.

The exhibition narrates the creative ferment in Calabria in the 1950s through rare and often never before exhibited works from private collections. An introductory section reconstructs the relationships between Calabrian artists active in Rome and the protagonists of the Roman School, with names such as Toti Scialoja, Giovanni Stradone, Nino Bertoletti, Antonio Vangelli, Carlo Quaglia and Orfeo Tamburi. Among the works in dialogue are unpublished drawings by Achille Capizzano, a Head by sculptor Ezio Roscitano and a recently rediscovered Self-portrait by Andrea Alfano.

At the heart of the exhibition is a section devoted to Renato Guttuso, a key figure in 20th century southern painting, with a selection of works from private collections, including the striking Grande nudo. Guttuso's canvases are placed side by side with those of Carlo Levi, present with a precious Self-portrait, in an artistic dialogue that restores the spirit of a lively and changing era.