Saturnia dedicates an exhibition to Gastone Novelli. His house a meeting place for intellectuals and artists

From April 9, 2022 to January 8, 2023, the Pietro Aldi Cultural Center in Saturnia presents the exhibition Gastone Novelli: Saturnia, the Origins, the Magic of the Sign. Realized thanks to the contribution of the Municipality of Manciano and Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort, curated by Guglielmo Buda and Anna Cristina Caputi, founders of the nonprofit association Guna Contemporary, in collaboration with theGastone Novelli Archive, the exhibition will show more than fifty years after the death of Gastone Novelli (Vienna, 1925 - Milan, 1968), drawings, sculptures and canvases by the artist, in dialogue with a selection of Etruscan and Roman artifacts from the Ciacci archaeological collection, in order to reveal Novelli’s ties to Saturnia.

Born in Vienna in 1925, Gastone Novelli participated in the Resistance and in the immediate postwar period moved to Brazil for five years. In 1955 he settled in Rome and mounted numerous solo exhibitions in Italy and abroad. He participated in the Venice Biennale in 1964, where he was awarded the Gollin prize. In 1967 he moved to the capital of Veneto, actively participated in the May 1968 movement and in protest closed his own room at the XXXIV Biennale.

The early 1960s are for him a time when the creation of the “magic language,” a system of signs capable of expressing possible universes, is clear. These are the years of travels to Greece, a pivotal experience in this investigation, but also of the construction of his house in Saturnia. He arrived in Saturnia from Argentario during a vacation, fell in love with it and decided to buy land to build a small house in the valley bottom, in close contact with the Gorello waterfalls. The house becomes a meeting place for intellectual friends and artists. The sinuosity of the hilly landscape, the constant motion of the waters and the marked archaeological characterization of the area influence the poetic imagination of Gastone Novelli, who dedicates a series of works to Saturnia.

The first room relates a selection of Novelli’s canvases and drawings from the Saturnia series with archaeological finds from the Ciacci collection; the second room displays Novelli’s sculptures, with a focus on the image of the hill/mountain; and the third room recounts the multiple valences of Saturnia’s home.

Amoving image commissioned for the exhibition from artist and filmmaker Sara Tirelli will reinterpret the link between Gastone Novelli and the territory: a work created in two media, a single-channel video and a virtual reality work. VR stations will be installed in neighboring towns in the area to take the exhibition beyond the museum space.

Pictured is Gastone Novelli at work in his home in Saturnia.

Saturnia dedicates an exhibition to Gastone Novelli. His house a meeting place for intellectuals and artists

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