Antonio Ligabue and his world: a major anthological exhibition at the Fortress of Bard

From October 29, 2021 to January 9, 2022, the Fortress of Bard will host a major anthological exhibition dedicated to Antonio Ligabue. The exhibition aims to trace his artistic activity, from the late 1920s to 1962, the year in which he was forced to abandon painting until his death. Curated by Sandro Parmiggiani, the anthological exhibition intends to acquaint the public with the different expressive tools Ligabue devoted himself to, with significant achievements in each technique: a total of ninety-five works will be exhibited, including about fifty significant paintings, and true masterpieces such as Caccia grossa (1929), Circo (circa 1941-42), Tigre reale (1941), Leopardo con serpente (1955-56), Caccia (1955), Self-Portrait with Easel (1954-55), Self-Portrait with Scarecrow (1957-58), Self-Portrait (1957), and some 20 sculptures, drawings, and etchings, from private collections, public collections, and banking foundations.

Antonio Ligabue and His World, this is the title of the exhibition set up in the Cannoniere of the fortress, allows for an in-depth study of the artist’s fundamental thematic nuclei, in order to understand both how his centers of interest vary over time and how a particular motif evolves, and the reciprocal transitions from one to the other. It is also intended to bring closer to the general public, through innovative textual and visual contributions, the work of the artist and the man Antonio Ligabue, in whom life and work were mutually intertwined and nurtured.

The exhibition catalog presents, in addition to the curator’s introductory essay on the artist’s work, texts by Luciano Manicardi and Alberto Manguel on self-portraits and an in-depth reconnaissance of the creation of the Ligabue “myth,” starting with the attention of magazines from the 1950s and the recent attention given to the artist by theater texts (Un bes by Mario Perrotta) and films (Volevo nascondermi by Giorgio Diritti), with direct testimonies from the protagonists.

The fundamental strands Ligabue has devoted himself to are two: exotic and ferocious animals, inhabitants of the forest, and self-portraits. However, there is no lack of other subjects, such as scenes of rural life and domestic animals; in fact, his love for animals is well known. For the first time, special attention has been paid to sculpture: a significant nucleus of more than twenty bronze works, depicting mostly animals. Another strand investigated by the artist in painting is that of his Po Valley landscapes, in which depictions of the castles and houses of his native Switzerland can be seen in the background, the outcome of a memory of images that remained imprinted in him all his life. Finally, Ligabue’s self-portraits represent an explicit and proud declaration of his value as an artist and of his identity as a human person, often mocked and mocked (it can be said that he lived as a “stranger in a foreign land”) and the description of his facial features, marked by feelings of loneliness and existential discomfort.

In addition, an educational room with free access for families outside the exhibition offers a specially created itinerary for children, a free educational kit to be picked up at the ticket office specially made for the visit of the little ones. Inside the exhibition itinerary, a child-friendly artwork will welcome young visitors for an immersive experience dedicated to them.

For info: www.fortedibard.it

Hours: Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Tickets: Full 10 euros, reduced 8 euros

Image: Antonio Ligabue, Self-portrait with easel, detail (1954-1955; oil on faesite panel, 199 x 130 cm; BPER Banca collection)

Antonio Ligabue and his world: a major anthological exhibition at the Fortress of Bard

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