Bologna, at Palazzo Boncompagni the exhibition Cavalieri e cavalli: 24 works by Marino Marini

Horsemen and Horses at the Palace: this is the title of the exhibition dedicated to Marino Marini, scheduled in Bologna, Palazzo Boncompagni from February 26 to May 15, 2022. Curated by the Marino Marini Foundation of Pistoia and organized by Palazzo Boncompagni, the exhibition presents 24 works (23 owned by the Foundation and one plaster sculpture from the Toninelli private collection), created from 1939 to 1963 and dedicated to one of the themes most dear to the artist’s heart, that of horsemen and horses, which made him world famous, such as The Angel of the City which, overlooking the Grand Canal, greets visitors to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice.

Along with the 18 sculptures, six large paintings are also on display, testifying to the quality of Marino Marini’s brushwork. “To conceive a form for me is to realize color - vision of color - animosity of life - animosity of form. I sought in color the beginning of every idea that had to become something. To paint is to put oneself in the poetry of the fact, and the fact in the making becomes true.”

The equestrian group is Marini’s best-known subject: a true symbol, a language adopted to read reality and narrate the human condition through figures that, over time, become less and less defined and more and more metaphorical. “There is the whole history of humanity and nature in the figure of the rider and the horse, in every age. It is my way of telling the story. It is the character I need to shape the passion of man (...).”

The works, some of them large in size, are set in the Renaissance rooms of Palazzo Boncompagni, recently reopened to the public, which was the residence where Pope Gregory XIII was born and lived until he ascended to the papal throne on May 13, 1572. The palace, in its original nucleus, is the work of architect Baldassarre Tommaso Peruzzi (1481-1536) but its completion and ornamentation, both interior and exterior, should be attributed to Ottaviano Mascarino and, above all, to Jacopo Barozzi, known as the Vignola (1507-1573).

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog with photographs of the works taken in the setting, texts and a set of period images from shots generously granted by Aurelio Amendola, an artist photographer and Marino Marini’s friend and fellow citizen. This Marino Marini exhibition is the second one organized by Palazzo Boncompagni, which continues in its intent to delve into the work of contemporary artists to enrich the city’s exhibition offerings, while also offering the people of Bologna and beyond an opportunity to discover and visit one Palazzo Boncompagni normally not accessible to the public.

Marino Marini’s works can be found in many museums, in Italy and abroad: in Italy, in addition to the two monographic institutions-the Marino Marini Foundation in Pistoia and the Marino Marini Museum in Florence-they are at the Vatican Museums, the Palazzo del Quirinale and the Museo del ’900 in Milan, with several rooms dedicated to him. The three examples of The Idea of an Image (1969-70) are in Berlin (Deutscher Bundestag), Jerusalem (The Israel Musuem) and Tokyo (Museum of Art). The polychrome wood Ersilia (1930-49) and ten other sculptures are at the Kunsthaus Zurich, while Pomona (1972) along with 20 other sculptures are at the Staatsgalerie Moderner Kunst in Munich. Among the most prestigious overseas collections, works by the master are at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., where along with 20 other sculptures you can see Knight (1952-53), while at Aichi Komaki-City, Menard Art Museum is the polychrome wood The Angel of the City, and Dancer (1948) at MoMa New York.

The exhibition Knights and Horses at the Palace will be part of the tenth edition of ART CITY Bologna, May 12-15, 2022; on these days the opening hours will be continuous, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturday, May 14 for ART CITY White Night from noon to 8 p.m. Info: Venue: Palazzo Boncompagni, Via del Monte 8, Bologna https://www.palazzoboncompagni.it/

Special events Art City (May 12-15): continuous hours 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Art City White Night (May 14): continuous hours 12 p.m.-8 p.m. Easter, April 17, Sunday: open Easter Monday, April 18, Monday: closed April 25, Monday: closed May 1, Sunday: open

Pictured is a photo of the exhibition setup.

Bologna, at Palazzo Boncompagni the exhibition Cavalieri e cavalli: 24 works by Marino Marini

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