Rome, at the Casina delle Civette an exhibition on Virgilio Retrosi, pupil of Duilio Cambellotti

The Casina delle Civette at Villa Torlonia hosts until June 2, 2024 In the Sign of Cambellotti. Virgilio Retrosi artist and craftsman, an exhibition project dedicated to Virgilio Retrosi (Rome 1892-1975), an artist present in the collections of the Museum of Rome with the 14 parade plates dedicated to the historic districts of Rome.

A friend and pupil of Duilio Cambellotti, Virgilio Retrosi made his debut in 1911 as a ceramist, exhibiting at the Agro Romano Exhibition curated by Cambellotti himself as part of the International Exhibition for the celebrations of the unification of the Kingdom of Italy and the proclamation of Rome as capital city.

The artist’s activity in the field of ceramics developed through his collaboration with the master and his pupils, including Roberto Rosati and Romeo Berardi.

In 1926 at the annual exhibition of the Amatori e Cultori d’Arte, Retrosi exhibited the series of plates with the 14 Rioni, purchased that same year by the City of Rome for its collections.

At the same time as his work as a ceramist and decorator, Retrosi devoted himself to applied graphics by teaching at the Preparatory School of Ornamental Arts in Rome, producing sketches for postage stamps, posters and postcards, and starting a fruitful collaboration withENIT (Ente Nazionale Italiano per il Turismo), a commitment that absorbed him totally as a graphic designer and photographer from the mid-1930s to the 1960s.

On display in the exhibition at the Dependency of the Casina delle Civette are ceramic objects and numerous drawings, sketches and graphic works that testify to his closeness to the language of the master by highlighting, along with his strong ties to tradition, also his innovative contribution in the various fields of applied arts.

The exhibition also features a rich nucleus of unpublished works belonging to private collections, which will make it possible to compare the design sketches with some of the works he created.

Sketches of posters, playbills and covers testify to the versatility, imagination and particular graphic quality of his sign.

During the exhibition, educational workshops dedicated to the preparatory phase aimed at the realization of the ceramic artifacts are scheduled for schools and families, with insights into the different techniques used: graphite and colored pastels, Indian ink, watercolor and tempera.

The exhibition catalog, edited by the Capitoline Superintendence with texts by Gaia Dammacco, Gloria Raimondi and Francesco Tetro, is published by Gangemi.

For all information, you can visit the official website of the Villa Torlonia Museums.

Rome, at the Casina delle Civette an exhibition on Virgilio Retrosi, pupil of Duilio Cambellotti

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