III VOLUME Rarità del Novecento Livornese

The third volume of the series, “Rarità del Novecento Livornese,” is dedicated to the life and works of Mario Ferretti, an exceptional and somewhat forgotten artist and illustrator from Livorno. Ferretti’s artistic journey began under the guidance of Beppe Guzzi at the Artistic Section of the Glassworks in Livorno in 1937. He became a leading figure in the Modern Livornese Artistic Group (G.A.M.E.L.). His remarkable talent as a stained glass designer and poster creator is evident in the sketches he produced for the “Littoriali della Vela e del Canotaggio,” sponsored by GUF in 1937.

Esteemed by prominent art figures such as Mario Nigro, Curzio Malaparte, Guido Favati, and Marcello Landi, Ferretti navigated the artistic tensions in Livorno, along with artists like Voltolino Fontani, Osvaldo Peruzzi, and Ferdinando Chevrier. However, he only partially embraced movements like EAISMO, Futurism, or abstraction. Instead, Ferretti preferred to develop synthetic formulas that aligned with the spirit of the Italian Novecento, aiming to express a sense of modern monumentality. Yet, his artistic vision always bore an inclination for distortion and a metaphysical essence, revealing an innate restlessness.

Ferretti was eager to explore the realms of abstraction, which paid homage to the synthetic possibilities of pictorial language. Despite his abstract endeavours, his artistic journey always led him back to a harmonious interplay of volumes and colours. For instance, his numerous depictions of skies in the 1950s evoke slices of nature, showing his ability to infuse his abstract works with a sense of natural beauty.

The publication of this volume is accompanied by the donation of some of Ferretti’s most significant abstract works to the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmi di Livorno, which has also contributed to the realisation of this editorial endeavour. The monograph dedicated to Mario Ferretti features a comprehensive and well-documented essay by Franco Sborgi, a professor of contemporary art history at the University of Genoa, along with two essays by Francesca Cagianelli.

Adding to the scholarly value of the volume are the curated materials by Michele Pierleoni, which include a selection of the artist’s poems previously published in a rare and now exhausted Livornese edition.

An exhibition is being held at the Athena Art Gallery in Livorno to commemorate Ferretti’s artistic legacy from January 13th to February 4th. Curated by Francesca Cagianelli, with organisational coordination by Michele Pierleoni, the exhibition presents a thoughtful selection of forty paintings and significant graphic works by the artist. It offers a journey through the entirety of Ferretti’s artistic production, from his figurative beginnings during his studies with Beppe Guzzi to the abstract season of the 1950s and even to his monumental cycles of the 1970s.

Curated by Francesca Cagianelli and Franco Sborgi, this volume is a homage to Mario Ferretti, an artist whose artistic restlessness led him to traverse the realms of metaphysics and abstraction, leaving behind an enduring and captivating body of work.

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