Cesare Zavattini and the masters of the twentieth century. A unique collection (1500) in 8 × 10 format. The exhibition at the Pinacoteca di Brera. – Carlo Franza’s blog

The passion for art has no measure and Cesare Zavattini has shown it with the upA “exceptional” collection for format and number: about one thousand five hundred very small paintings, only eight centimeters for ten. Universally known for the extraordinary activity of writer and screenwriter of the neorealist cinema, Zavattini constantly cultivates an equally enthusiastic dedication to art, especially painting, of which it is both author and avid collector. The interest in the brush is a “electrocution”, the discovery of a “fun”, which leads him to paint and surround himself for all his life of paintings: “… what deep joy give me the paintings, if I had money I would only buy paintings”. In fact, in about forty years Zavattini collects almost 1500, in a unique collection especially for the chosen format: 8 x 10 cm. Not being able to afford “large paintings because they cost too much”, falls back on the “little ones” and invent the collecting of “minimum works”. The small dimension must be requested and Zavattini, a demanding and passionate client, establishes the dimensional standard of the works, leaving the artists freedom of choice of matter, technique and subject. The invitation to join a series, unique and extraordinary, because it is deliberately not monumental, RaggiuNGE practically all the artists of the time and finds almost unanimous consensus.
The collection, which began in 1941, finds space in the Roman house in via Sant’Angela Merici, whose walls in a short time are completely covered with a tinsel of tiny: still lifes, landscapes, abstract subjects, portraits and especially self -portraits. “To all painters I asked the self -portrait, so I also have the self -portraits of almost all Italian painters in the aforementioned dimensions”. This is surrounded by the faces of Fontana, Burri, Balla, De Chirico, Savinio, Capogrossi. Severini, Rosai, Casorati, Sironi, Mafai, Soffici, De Pisis, Campigli, Afro, Consagra, Depero, Guttuso, Sassu, Dorazio, Manzù, Leoncillo, Melotti, Marini, Schifano, Vedova, Rotella, Festa, Turcato, Munari, Pistoletto, Paraces, just to name a few. Each painting appears single and autonomous work, rare specimen in the author’s production, and at the same time part of a series, also unique in its kind. The rarity and preciousness of the Zavattini collection lies above all in being made entirely on commission.
Unfortunately, in 1979 Zavattini was forced, for economic reasons, to sell this “Encyclopedia of twentieth century painting”, which will therefore be dismembered and partly dispersed. In 2008 a substantial nucleus of 152 paintings, all “self -portraits”, was recovered and acquired to the national public heritage, as owned by the Pinacoteca di Brera. Store for years in storage and recently subjected to accurate restoration – and restoration of the original frames, lost at the time of the sale – the splendid minimum self -portraits of Brera will be presented for the first time to the public in an exhibition dedicated to the history of the collection and the relations between Zavattini and the world of art. The 152 masterpieces will all be exhibited, from 7 May to 8 September 2013 in the XV room of the Pinacoteca, alongside some self -portraits painted by Zavattini himself. A rich corpus of testimonies are accompanied by the paintings Copy and video documentary – letters, postcards, brochures, invitations, interviews and documentaries – will testify to the history of the collection and its protagonists. In addition to the masters already mentioned, The exhibition includes the self -portraits of Accardi, Adami, Angels, Baj, Birolli, Carena, Cascella, Corpora, Donghi, Doctors, Fazzini, Ferrazzi, Funes, Greek, Guidi, Ligabue, Maccari, Magnelli, Marussig, Maselli, Mastroianni, Mazzacurati, Music, Novelli, Parmiggiani, dangers, Perilli, Pirandello, Pizzinato, Prampolini, Radice, Rivera, Schnaavino, Tosi, Tosi, Tosi, But also of writers such as Buzzati, Dorfles, Scheiwiller, soldiers and others.
Curated by Marina Gargiulo, director of the 20th century collections of the Pinacoteca di Brera, the exhibition makes use of the scientific support of the Cesare Zavattini Archive- Panizzi Library of Reggio Emilia, and the contribution of experts of the different aspects of the multifaceted Zavattinian cultural production. In support of the exhibition, the Pinacoteca will propose a cultural insight program aimed at the various visitors of the exhibition and, starting from 8 in May, a cycle of conferences and debates dedicated to the many za: The journalist, critic and screenwriter writer, the director, the painter, the collector … The friend of the artists, thanks above all to the contribution of important personalities of the art world such as the painter Tullio dangers and the photographer Gianni Berengo Gardin. At the same time with the exhibition, from 29 May and throughout the month of June, a review dedicated to Cesare Zavattini will present the Italian Cineteca Italiana. 15 titles will be proposed including all its most important works as a screenwriter – from Sciuscià to bicycle thieves, from beautiful to Umberto D to miracle in Milan – and the two films of which the direction, the truthful and the mysteries of Rome signed, and also meetings and screenings with guests. In conjunction and collaboration with the exhibition, the Cineteca will also propose to the interactive Mic-Museum of cinema 3 weeks of summer campus for children entitled Miracle in Milan-The only summer campus for children Collectors of art, cinema and fantasy, inspired by the figure of Cesare Zavattini collector.

Carlo Franza