In Sorrento an exhibition dedicated to Antonio Ligabue

From Aug. 5 to Nov. 16, 2024, in Sorrento, the rooms of Villa Fiorentino will host an exhibition dedicated to Antonio Ligabue, an anthological exhibition that allows the public to confront works created throughout the creative life of a rebellious but brilliant, restless and visionary artist who is now a true myth of twentieth-century art. His marginal, isolated existence, but not without memorable encounters-he always frequented artists, writers and filmmakers in each of his seasons-as an exile, an outcast, a psychic borderline poised between lucidity and madness anticipates him, accompanies him in the imagination of the general public, which posits individual tenacity, tense and continuous effort, and innate genius as redemption from any initial disadvantaged condition. Ligabue, through his works, was able to build an utterly personal, strong and incisive language for himself, rebelling, like any great artist, against the hindrance of rules and conditioning.

Curated by Marzio Dall’Acqua, promoted by the City of Sorrento and Fondazione Sorrento in collaboration with Ligabue Art Projects, the anthological exhibition, titled simply Antonio Ligabue in Sorrento, celebrates a great expressionist, one of the protagonists of 20th-century Italian art. Antonio Ligabue appears absolutely anomalous among twentieth-century painters, in his violence, in his expressiveness, for his visionary world and so at once parallel to reality, in a narrative that is always epic and dramatic. We could say that the Sorrento exhibition is under the sign of the “redemption” of the artist’s work from critical misunderstandings, interpretative obtuseness and journalistic inventions of custom, which have, over time, polluted the possibility of reading his work correctly.

The exhibition presents 67 works: 52 of his celebrated oils, including masterpieces such as Head of a Tiger (1956), Leopard on a Rock (1960), Black Widow (1955), Eagle with Fox (1944), Wild Cat with Kite (1960), Self-Portrait (1959). Extraordinary is the Portrait of Elba (1936), Ligabue’s first painting dedicated to shooting others, in this case a little girl who died to console her mother, exceptionally lent with generosity by the owner. In this exhibition, also a portrait of Marino, we are also before the second war. Self-portraits the artist would begin them only from 1940, in theSan Lazzaro Psychiatric Institute in Reggio Emilia, at the request of engraver and writer Luigi Bartolini. Ligabue was an exceptional draughtsman and engraver, especially in burin on metal matrix. Moreover, his sculptures, which are of exceptional aesthetic quality, are not always exhibited. On display in Sorrento are 15 of his intense bronze sculptures made from the original Po clay, which the artist chewed over a long period of time to make it pliable.

“The decision to invest in cultural tourism, focusing on events of international appeal, and programming appointments dedicated to a public in love with art, finds confirmation in this new event dedicated to Antonio Ligabue that we are preparing to inaugurate,” explains Sorrento Mayor Massimo Coppola. "The works, from paintings to sculptures, from drawings to engravings, offer citizens and visitors, and we hope many young people, a glimpse into the tormented world of one of the most original and eclectic artists of the last century.

“With Antonio Ligabue we open the halls of Villa Fiorentino to an artist of the 20th century who made nonconformism his hallmark,” comments the CEO of Fondazione Sorrento, Alfonso Iaccarino. “We are sure that the exhibition will be welcomed by fans of our land and the many guests who will choose our Coast for their vacations in the coming weeks. An event that has all the credentials to represent the cultural appointment of the summer for art lovers.”

The exhibition is built in sections, with a clarifying and educational intent to facilitate knowledge and love for Ligabue’s work. Audio guides, original period footage, extensive captions and a catalog documenting the entire exhibition are tools for further correct and scientific approach to the work of this unique and singular artist.

Hours: Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. October 1 to November 16 Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. (Box office closes one hour earlier).

Ticket price: full 10 €, reduced 7 €, for groups of at least 10 people. Free up to 12 years old. Audioguide included.

In Sorrento an exhibition dedicated to Antonio Ligabue

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