Rome, Bruno Munari and Gianni Rodari, masters of the 20th century, dialogue at Palazzo delle Esposizioni

The Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome has opened its doors to the exhibition Tra Munari e Rodari, an initiative proposed by the Promoting Committee for the celebrations of theAnno Rodariano established by Biblioteche di Roma: it is an exhibition that, from June 16 to October 24, 2020, intends to bring into dialogue two great Italian personalities of the 20th century, artist Bruno Munari (Milan, 1907 - 1998) and writer Gianni Rodari (Omegna, 1920 - Rome, 1980).

The project, in collaboration with Corraini Edizioni, with whom Bruno Munari has always worked steadily over the years, aims to be a tribute to the two artists and to celebrate their encounter, both human and intellectual. It is not a formal tribute but a gift to two masters in their respective fields: a path that unravels through ten panels that recount with poetry and immediacy the points of contact between the two artists, a fantastic pair from which the pleasure of invention, of the imagination of creativity that makes Rodari and Munari unique characters in the artistic panorama of the Italian twentieth century is released.

“Bruno Munari and Gianni Rodari,” writes Paolo Fallai, president of the Libraries of Rome, in the exhibition catalog, “are two scorpions. And not because they were born a few hours (and 13 years) apart, on October 24 and 23, or for mysterious reasons related to astronomy and the divinatory arts. But because they stung our supposed certainties, leaving wounds that cannot be healed. They liberated the images and words, which with so much effort, our cultural tradition wanted to box up and reduce to rigid and reassuring patterns. They taught us that uselessness is indispensable: that which ’does not produce material consumer goods’ and does not ’increase capital.’ They revalued letters and signs, without thinking about their algebraic value. Making light and solemn mockery of our crude and solemn beliefs.”

Bruno Munari was one of the greatest protagonists of twentieth-century art, design and graphics. He always devoted his creative activity to experimentation, with a special focus on the world of children and their games. His creations in the fields of painting, sculpture, design, photography and didactics traverse his different poetics following the thread of his highly personal originality.

Gianni Rodari was a teacher, journalist, pedagogue and writer.Starting in the 1950s, he began publishing his works for girls and boys, which were immediately a huge success with the public and critics. His books, translated into many languages, earned in 1970, the prestigious “Hans Christian Andersen” prize, considered the “Nobel” of children’s literature. His Grammar of Fantasy, has immediately become a reference for those involved in reading education and children’s literature.

For all information you can visit the official website of the Palazzo delle Esposizioni.

Rome, Bruno Munari and Gianni Rodari, masters of the 20th century, dialogue at Palazzo delle Esposizioni

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