Museo Nicolis & Casa d'Arte Futurista Depero

Verona, 07th March 2018. Casa d’Arte Futurista Depero of Rovereto inaugurates the exhibition “Metallic Beasts. The 20th-Century Cult of the Automobile” curated by Nicoletta Boschiero and Federico Zanoner.

The Museo Nicolis exhibits

Model: Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Coupe Spyder (Touring), 1932
Scale model 1:8_cm 51x22x18
Plastic material, Production House RIVAROSSI-POCHER, 50s – 60s.

Model: Bugatti Type 46 Semi-profile Coupe, 1929
Scale model 1:8_cm 64x23x20
Plastic material, Production House RIVAROSSI-POCHER, 50s – 60s

Model: Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Roadster, 1936
Scale model 1:8_cm 65x24x19
Plastic material, Production House RIVAROSSI-POCHER, 50s – 60s

Notes on the exhibition

The force behind a profound transformation of the landscape and our collective lifestyle, the automobile is the focus of an exhibition exploring various moments in the history of 20th-century art. Research on the holdings of Mart has shed light on the variety of artworks and documents that address this particularly theme, in a wide range of different perspectives and viewpoints. From Futurist myth-making about automobiles hurtling through space to the fascination for their aesthetics in paintings from the 1920s and 1930s, the exhibition reaches the present day with works by artists who have appropriated the image of the automobile, expressing interest or criticism.

The collages of Fortunato Depero, the urban landscapes of Mario Sironi, the reworkings of mechanical images by Gianni Bertini, the light-boxes of Andrea Crosa – all demonstrate the progressive shift in the perception of the automobile, which became increasingly popular to the point of being mass-produced.
The exhibition includes a selection of photographs, illustrations, advertisements and other printed materials from Mart Archivio del ’900. Noteworthy among the photographic portraits are those of Ernesto Thayaht, an auto enthusiast, immortalized standing next to cars he owned. Other photos of Benito Mussolini confirm the automobile as symbol of progress and power. Special attention is dedicated to the advertising work of Marcello Dudovich and Mario Duse, author of an important group of photomontages created for Pirelli.

CASA D’ARTE FUTURISTA DEPERO
Via dei Portici 38, 38068 Rovereto (TN)
Contacts
T + 39 0464 431813
Calls from abroad +39 0445 230315
info@mart.trento.it

Where: Museo Nicolis – Villafranca di Verona via Postumia, 71
When: Open from Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Monday. .
Opening Time: From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Contacts: +39 045 6303289
info@museonicolis.com

Press Office
Giulia Brandiele
press@museonicolis.com
M. +39 342 9158700