The “Citazioni Pratiche” exhibition opened at Palazzo Altemps, Rome, on 16 December. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Museum, Barnaba Fornasetti, the son of Piero Fornasetti - the author of many of the works on display - lends his father’s “Practical Madness” to peacefully invade the masterpieces of ancient sculpture and the Renaissance decorations that are permanently exhibited at Palazzo Altemps.
A total of 800 objects are distributed across 27 artistic installations exhibited in as many rooms which, rather than creating an artistic itinerary, give life to an interplay of quotes and references to ancient art.
From one room to the other, classical and ancient themes and ruins give life to an occasionally baffling, irreverent, cultured and learned exchange between the Museum’s permanent collection of ancient art and the creations resulting from Fornasetti’s unrestrained imagination and surrealist invention.
We believe that some rooms are small, must-see masterpieces. Like the “Galatian Suicide” room, where the famous sculpture group stands against the background of a 6-metre scene reproducing Piero Fornasetti’s “Practical Madness”. Or the Polyphemus room, whose walls reproduce videos of fluctuating fish from Fornasetti’s “Sea Floor”, as if they were almost expanding the scenic space of the installation.
Piero Fornasetti was one of the most prolific artists of the Italian cultural scene until the 1980s. He created one of the biggest collections of objects and furnishing elements, which live on nowadays thanks to his son Barnaba who, searching through his father’s works with skilful tenacity and passion, reveals the most significant pieces and reinvents others in line with his father’s traditional style.
Fornasetti for Ceramica Bardelli
The collaboration between Ceramica Bardelli and Fornasetti dates back to the early 1990s. The available collections are: Fornasettiana, Macchine Volanti, Tema e Variazione, Ultime Notizie and Libreria. The most representative subjects of Piero and Barnaba Fornasetti’s production are handmade by using decals and exclusive materials such as platinum, in line with the author’s traditional and artistic philosophy.
Photo Credit: fornasetti.com
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