Tano Festa's general catalog published, fully searchable online

Yesterday, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the General Catalog of the work of Tano Festa (Gaetano Festa; Rome, 1938 - 1988), one of the major exponents of the so-called School of Piazza del Popolo, along with Mario Schifano and Franco Angeli, ascribable to the Roman Pop Art movement, was published. The initiative, desired and curated by Anita Festa, thus brings to the public and scholars a catalog, already published on the websites www.tanofesta.it/archivio and www.catalogogeneraletanofesta.it, that fills a gap of more than thirty years, and intends to offer the tools to bring Tano Festa’s work back to the evaluation it deserves; until now, the only monographic catalog, published by the then official archives authorized by the Eredi Festa, dates back to October 1997 and is very partial, reproducing, mostly in black and white, images related to only 542 works.

“It has been for decades,” recalls Anita Festa, “more than ever in recent years, that I, the eldest daughter of Tano Festa, have been longing, just as my father wished for it in his lifetime, that there finally exists a noteworthy catalog that represents him as he deserves and that truly illustrates his work in the most complete, but above all, the most truthful way possible. A catalog that is scientifically reliable, that reports order and truth in relation to the years of execution, the techniques really used, the titles really assigned by the artist to his works, who often did not title them at all.”

Tano Festa’s catalog is a useful and important tool for art historians and critics, who are always interested in discovering studies on the artist, for those students who want to get closer to his work, and for collectors or just art enthusiasts who want to know and learn more about the master’s history and stylistic signature. The decision to turn to a digital publication is intended to ensure a rapid spread of knowledge about Tano Festa, both nationally and internationally, and will offer the possibility of rapid updates, where there is a need.

The catalog covers the entire career of Tano Festa, presenting 1,736 works, created from 1957 until 1987. All the works are organized in chronological order, in a reasoned sequence, with captions hitherto unpublished, where technical data are given, but above all where the painting techniques have been drawn up in a new, more accurate, precise form, adhering to the materials actually used.

Already planned in the immediate future is an English translation, the publication of a selected critical anthology, and bibliographical apparatuses on the works.

Tano Festa's general catalog published, fully searchable online

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