TRanslation of Altre stanze: ANNI ‘50-60: Selected works from the collection of the bank of italy

In 2017, I had the privilege working on the English translation of the exhibition catalogue of Altre Stanze (Other Rooms) of Post-War art from the collection of the Bank of Italy.  The exhibition provided the first-time chance to view a variety of artworks normally separated amongst the bank's various branches and displayed in locations largely unknown or inaccessible to the public. The title of the show, Other Rooms  referred to such spaces, while also playing upon the notion of artists and movements during this period who reside in locales not well-familiar within the collective memory  of Italian painting and sculpture following World War II. 

In introducing this period historically, the show's essays shed light on how generalized notions of Italian culture following the War often reduce it to a lively period of reconstruction and optimism that blossomed into La Dolce Vita.  We might think of that carefree road trip in Il Sorpasso, riding along the newly built autostrade di sole in Bruno's Lancia Aurelia B24 as that symbol of Italy's social prosperity, by way of the explosion of its automotive industry. Yet what of the other important contributors to this rehabilitation?

There was the work of Alberto Manzi, whose RAI show Non e Mai Troppo Tardi (It's Never Too Late) taught thousands of illiterate Italians how to read on national television. Magnates such as Adriano Olivetti and Enrico Mattei who helped secure a new chapter of in Italy's economic strength. Their impact was also met by voices of dissent, such as that of Pasolini who criticized the economic miracle and adoption of a U.S. led societal model following the war.

In this vein, the Altre Stanze exhibition sought to explore the myriad of artistic impulses that took shape during Italy's Post-War period. The exhibition included well known names, such as Giorgio de Chirico, Lucio Fontana and Renato Guttuso. Yet there was also a focus on lesser-known painters such as Marcello Avenali, Corrado Cagli, Tano Festa, and Carla Accardi. In total, visitors were able to survey the panorama of artistic currents and newly formed groups that took form during this period, from the country’s figurative tradition to its nascent interest in informal abstraction. New considerations emerge of how such movements converged and diverged from one another, helping viewers form a clearer understanding of the morass of Italy’s artistic scene during the 1950s and 1960s.

Download a sample translation of the catalogue (.pdf). A full .pdf translation of the catalogue is available upon email request.

Selected works from the show: