The Reggia di Venaria dedicates an exhibition to Mario Lattes on the centenary of his birth

The Reggia di Venaria, in the Salette del Presidente, will host from March 30 to May 7, 2023 the exhibition Mario Lattes. Theaters of Memory, on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of the painter, writer, publisher, cultural promoter and collector. Curated by Vincenzo Gatti, and produced by the Bottari Lattes Foundation, with the support of the Piedmont Region, the patronage of the City of Turin, the contribution of Banca d’Alba and the patronage and contribution of the Foundation for Jewish Cultural Heritage in Italy, in collaboration with Lattes Editori, the exhibition will present a selection of more than fifty works by theTurin intellectual, including several never before exhibited, set within an itinerary intended to document the most recent work of investigation into the various aspects of the artistic activity of Mario Lattes (Turin, 1923 - 2001).

Since its inception in 2009, the Bottari Lattes Foundation has promoted numerous initiatives outlining the artist’s activity, setting up in the exhibition venues of Monforte d’Alba and Turin both group and solo exhibitions aimed at highlighting Lattes’ different peculiarities, such as on the occasion of Pittoriscrittori (2013), Mario Lattes. Engravings (2013), Mario Lattes on Paper (2016), Personal Anthology (2016), Mario Lattes’ "Library. Illustrations for school anthology (2020) and even earlier Mario Lattes, di me e d’altri possibili (2008). In parallel, in Italy and abroad, reviews dedicated to him have been organized over the years, such as Mario Lattes between painting and literature at the Italian Cultural Institute in Prague in 2014.

An acute witness to the events of his century, Lattes interprets the tensions and ambiguities of the artist’s role: he lives its dramas and exaltations, filtering emotions through his highly personal vision of figuration, imbued with fantastic and visionary moods. Fruitful restlessness always drives Lattes to research, to experiment, to pursue modes of expression that are indifferent to praxis, unusual but useful in releasing creative urgency. Differentiating himself from possible models and probable contiguities, through the works in the exhibition emerges the “dark side” that pulses even in seemingly more usual domestic contexts. Exemplary is the presence in many works of puppets, dolls or mannequins, perturbing witnesses of a feeling that repels and seduces at the same time. In the 1990Self-Portrait, chosen as the exhibition’s guiding image, Lattes paints himself surrounded by these ambiguous actors: but is he the leader or part of this ironic little theater?

The exhibition is part of an itinerary that will run throughout 2023, which the Bottari Lattes Foundation is dedicating to celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Mario Lattes’ birth.

For the anniversary, a monographic volume published by Silvana Editoriale and edited by Vincenzo Gatti, with Alice Pierobon, will be published. The text offers a retrospective of Lattes’ entire artistic production, of which the exhibition presents a significant selection. It will contain within it a critical essay by Claudio Strinati, an extensive illustrated section with color reproductions of paintings, watercolors, gouaches and etchings, and will be accompanied by in-depth apparatus on his exhibitions and critical fortune. The volume will be presented on March 29 at the Reggia di Venaria during the opening of the exhibition Mario Lattes. Theaters of Memory.

The 130th anniversary of the Lattes Publishing House will also be celebrated in 2023. An exhibition to tell a piece of the city’s history and its reflection on Italy is planned for spring, curated by Marta Sironi under the supervision of the Lattes Publishing House and in collaboration with the Bottari Lattes Foundation, the Tancredi di Barolo Foundation and MUSLI.

For info: fondazionebottarilattes.it

Image: Mario Lattes, Self-Portrait, detail (1990; oil on canvas, 70 x 70 cm)

The Reggia di Venaria dedicates an exhibition to Mario Lattes on the centenary of his birth

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