ART GALLERIES IN MILAN IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD

The Fondazione Stelline hosts a collection of paintings and sculptures that bring to light the cultural and artistic vivacity of Milan art galleries in the two decades following World War I.

The exhibit concentrates on the historic and artistic period between 1919 and 1939 and the activity carried out by the principal art galleries in Milan that gave evidence of great cultural dynamism. These galleries held exhibitions of renowned artists that ranged from the late 19th century to Futurism, from the Novecento Group to Abstractism, from Aeropittura to Chiarismo, up to the Corrente movement.   

In the period between the two World Wars, Milan lived a momentum of fervid cultural activity with a strong return of figurative painting after the revolutionary experience of Futurism. Historic art galleries – like Pesaro, Bardi, Scopinich, Milano, Salvetti, Dedalo, Bottega di Poesia, Il Milione, Barbaroux, Micheli, Gussoni, Centrale and Mostre Temporanee – hosted artists that embodied diverse art movements: Balla, Carrà, Campigli, Casorati, de Chirico, de Pisis, Fontana, Funi, Guttuso, Licini, Melotti, Prampolini, Rosai, Medardo Rosso, Savinio, Severini, Sironi, Usellini, Wildt, and many others.

The masterfully displayed paintings, sculptures and historic records on exhibit enable visitors to experience a city whose echo on the international scenario attracted artists like Kandinskij, who found here fertile ground for their artistic expression.

The exhibition itinerary pivots on multifaceted Italian art and its development over the two decades, offering visitors glimpses of artistic change and proliferation, which we still witness today. Underlining the utmost important moments of our past, we understand the artistic and cultural roots of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists.

CATALOGUE

• Gallerie Milanesi tra le due Guerre (in Italian), Silvana Editore, 192 pages, €34.
This extensive catalogue features an introduction by exhibition curator Luigi Sansone, reviews by Elena Pontiggia and Nicoletta Colombo, and an important contribution by Gillo Dorfles. The volume offers a broad and rich panorama of the works on display, divided by sections, and a selection of historic records (some of which as yet unpublished).