An exhibition in Modena on Mario Sironi, among the leading artists of the early 20th century

As part of festivalfilosofia 2023, which will be held in Modena, Carpi and Sassuolo from September 15 to 17, the BPER Banca Gallery in Modena will host the exhibition Mario Sironi from September 15, 2023 to February 4, 2024. Solemnity and Torment, curated by Daniela Ferrari.

The Gallery will offer a selection of about forty works by Mario Sironi (Sassari, 1885 - Milan, 1961), including a nucleus of works that is presented for the first time outside Sardinia, dated between 1926 and 1958 and belonging to a rich Sironian collection donated by the artist’s companion Mimì Costa to Banco di Sardegna - BPER Banca Group. This corpus is then joined by works from prestigious private collections, the Mario Sironi Association and the Mario Sironi Archive.

Among the works on display is the large painting Allegory of Work, a preparatory study for a now-destroyed fresco proposed with great success in 1933 at the Fifth Milan Triennale. The exhibition aims to highlight the pictorial and graphic grandeur of this early 20th century master. It starts with a 1926 lithograph depicting the poster for the first exhibition of the Novecento Italiano group founded by Margherita Sarfatti, of which Sironi was a protagonist, and a study of the movement’s logo made by the artist using the collage technique in the same year.

The exhibition will bring together significant works from the activities that characterize Sironi’s artistic experience, such as public art and mural painting, scenography, easel painting, illustration, drawing and collage. At the same time, the selection will present the main themes of the artist’s production, such as the human figure, with the oil on canvas titled Figures from 1930 from the BPER Banca Collection, from which the guiding image of the exhibition is taken. There will be no shortage of still lifes, such as the famous Still Life with Blue Cup from the Augusto and Francesca Giovanardi Collection and compositions with a tempera on paper from 1956 called Personage and some examples of his Multiplications, landscapes or scenes with figures organized in sectors. Urban landscapes are present with emblematic works such as Il gasometro (1943), Periferia con aereo (1918) and Porto, paesaggio urbano e figura (1920): he often resorted to the collage technique to create them. Preparatory works on occasional supports are represented by works such as Moses on newsprint from 1933; in fact, it is well known that Sironi drew on every support at his disposal, from envelopes to clean backs of letters to newspaper sheets. Also added are works devoted toillustration such as the 1927 Manifesto of the Ausstellung Italienische Maler in Zurich.

Continuing along the path, one will find sketches and studies for decorations grouped on a single wall. The culmination of the exhibition is the monumental Allegory of Labor (1932-1933), among the main examples of his commitment to producing works for public use.

The exhibition ties in with the theme of the 2023 edition of the festivalfilosophy, the word: in fact, newspaper pages, envelopes with addresses, writings running through the images, as well as posters will be included in the exhibition itinerary. The word has supported Sironi’s pictorial work on several occasions.

Accompanying the exhibition is a catalog published by Sagep Editori. Visitors can request it with an offer starting from 2 euros, and at the end of the exhibition the entire proceeds, together with the contribution of BPER Banca, will be donated to the Dynamo Camp ETS Foundation (Third Sector Entity). Dynamo Camp works for the right to happiness of children and young people with serious illnesses and their families, offering Recreational Therapy activities free of charge with the aim of recreation and fun but also and above all to stimulate children’s abilities, to renew their confidence and hope.

The exhibition is open from Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free admission; during festivalfilosophy Friday 15 and Saturday 16 the exhibition is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 17 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Image: Mario Sironi, Allegory of Work (1932-33; oil on canvas, 202 x 271.5 x 4 cm; Collezione Banco di Sardegna - Gruppo BPER Banca). © Mario Sironi, by SIAE 2023

An exhibition in Modena on Mario Sironi, among the leading artists of the early 20th century

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