Futurism&Co Art Gallery in Rome dedicates to artist Giacomo Balla an exhibition that explores Balla’s intrinsic relationship with light.
Related articles: 20 modern artists you should know - Everything you need to know about Modernism in visual art - 16 vitalizing art pieces that shook the world
Giacomo Balla (1871-1958) was among the first protagonists of Italian Divisionism, when in the early 1900s he began to paint pointillist paintings, without fully adhering to the program of his greatest exponents. He then became a leading exponent of Futurism, signing with Marinetti and others including Boccioni, Carrà and Russolo, the posters that sanctioned the theoretical aspects of the movement, the first in 1909 and in particular the following year, the Manifesto of Futurist painters. After several years of active involvement, in 1937 he wrote a letter to the newspaper Perseo in which he declared himself an outsider to Futurist activities: the works of the 1930s were marked by a return, albeit innovative, to figuration.
The 150th anniversary of Giacomo Balla’s birth will be celebrated in Rome, in a local art gallery in the historic center. The exhibition features more than seventy works, sourced from private collections. The exhibition will be curated by Elena Gigli, art historian and authoritative scholar of the Turin painter. “Making light has always been my favorite studio," writes Balla in '54, in a letter written to the art historian Alfred Barr. According to Balla, the centrality of the research of light in painting has always been of primary importance. "It’s about a research, mostly interior, prior to the Futurist experience. This more than an exhibition on Futurism is an exhibition on light", reiterates curator Elena Gigli.
Cover image: Giacomo Balla, Affetti (studio), 1910, oil on canvas. Courtesy Futurism&Co Art Gallery, Roma
Written by Maria Eleonora Piva
Stay Tuned on Kooness magazine for more exciting news from the art world.