The Museo Ottocento Bologna is enriched with new acquisitions

On Wednesday, Sept. 6, the Museo Ottocento Bologna, which opened in April 2023 and is based in Piazza San Michele 4/C, in front of Corte Isolani, will exhibit to the public the painting Giovinezza (1922) by Emma Bonazzi, loaned last months to the Mart in Rovereto on the occasion of the exhibition Klimt and Italian Art. Three new acquisitions by the artist will be presented along with the work, which will be narrated through a series of guided tours by appointment. Three refined little boxes that Bonazzi made for the Perugina chocolate company in the 1930s, of which she was artistic director for 30 years. From September, the works will thus enrich the museum’s permanent collection.

“The artist,” said Museo Ottocento Bologna director and curator Francesca Sinigaglia, "the only woman in a panorama of men, is influenced by the European style of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele and is represented at Museo Ottocento Bologna by the work Giovinezza, exhibited at the 1922 Spring Florentine. The sensual back figure is immersed in a mosaic of draperies and textiles reminiscent of Murano glass or Galileo Chini’s decorations. I am delighted to be able to present this work to the public along with three new acquisitions by the artist, and at the same time amazed at the large number of people who have visited the Museo Ottocento Bologna in recent months, demonstrating a love of art and sincere curiosity about a century that is yet to be discovered. Visitors are enthusiastic about both the cultural proposal and the way it is enjoyed, with exclusive events and guided tours led by University of Bologna interns. The Museum’s technical-scientific committee will soon be drafting the Rules for the Scholarships to be awarded to scholars of the period. We are also defining the upcoming exhibition offerings, which will be rich and exciting and will be presented at the press conference of the exhibition Carlotta Gargalli (1788-1840) and the legacy of Canova, which will enjoy loans of excellence, scheduled for October 31 in Confcommercio Ascom."

Emma Bonazzi (1881-1959) was active as a painter, illustrator and designer of billboards. A leading exponent of the Secessionist movement and in particular of the Bolognese Deco, from the beginning she was noticeably influenced by the style of Klimt and Schiele, but also by the manner of the Art Nouveau painter and ceramist Galileo Chini. Among the few women active in art, Bonazzi trained at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Bologna, where she graduated in 1913. She took part in the first Roman Secession, becoming a leading figure in it, but she also developed her own personal stylistic style, characterized by dreamy-fairy-tale accents, which characterized her mark in an original way within the Liberty and Art Deco movements. In 1916 he came into contact with the Chappuis printing house in Bologna and published his first posters. Between 1925 and 1940 he worked as an art consultant with the historic Perugina company (founded in 1907), sensing the commercial needs of the clientele and creating and producing refined boxes and luxury packaging. Three of these examples are now part of the Collections of the Museo Ottocento Bologna.

For info: mobologna.it

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Image: Emma Bonazzi, Giovinezza, detail (1922; oil on canvas, 97 x 86 cm; Bologna, Museo Ottocento Bologna)

The Museo Ottocento Bologna is enriched with new acquisitions

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.