Art's Greatest Kisses

Is there anything more romantic than a kiss? In honor of the supposed most romantic day of the year, here are a few of my favorite art works featuring that most amorous of all gestures.

I've been a life-long Toulouse-Lautrec fan; he was one of my absolute favorite painters when I was a young girl. But I have never had the pleasure of seeing this work live, as it is in a private collection. I suppose I'll just have to wait and hope it comes to an exhibition near me.

The Kiss, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Private Collection

I have loved this photograph since I was an adolescent. To me it was the epitome of romance, and represented all that I hoped would happen to me in my future (which I knew would undoubtedly take place in Europe). It was a great joy for me to see it at the Robert Doisneau exhibit at Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome two years ago.

The Kiss at Hotel de Ville, Robert Doisneau,

This sensuous work is going on exhibit along with 60 other pieces by Rodin at the National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian. Rodin: The Marble, The Life opens this Tuesday, 18 February.

The Kiss, Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Paris

This the only work of art that has ever literally made me cry upon seeing it live. Of course, there is another story there, which actually has to do more with Schiele than with Klimt. Perhaps I'll blog about that memorable museum visit one day.

The Kiss, Gustav Klimt, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna

 I don't think this next one needs any commentary.

The Kiss, Francesco Hayez, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan

And last but not least, my absolute favorite, which is, in reality, a few centimeters away from being a kiss, but perhaps that makes it all the more exquisite. You can read more about these two lovebirds, Cupid and Psyche, here and here, in two blogposts I dedicated solely to them.

Psyche Revived by the Kiss of Love, Antonio Canova, Musée du Louvre, Paris

Did I leave out any of your favorites?

All images courtesy of Wiki Commons.

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100 years of Renato Guttuso

Self-portrait, Renato Guttuso, 1975. Collezione Archivi Guttuso, Roma

Hello, lovelies!  I am determined to make up for the dearth of exhibit-themed posts on the blog lately. Hopefully you had a chance to catch Paul Klee in Italy before it closed on Sunday! Another exhibition that won't be around much longer is the Vittoriano's celebration of 100 years of Renato Guttuso, ending 10 February.

I funerali di Togliatti, Renato Guttuso, 1972. Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna.

Born near Palermo, Sicily in 1911, Guttuso was greatly infulenced by Socialist Realism but developed his own unique painting style that, late in his career, tended toward Surrealism. He passionately opposed fascism and the mafia, and joined the banned Italian Communist Party in 1940. He considered himself a political painter and his works often expressed his beliefs and positions, for example the above homage to the exiled leader of the communist party, Palmiro Togliatti.

La Vucciria, Renato Guttuso, 1974. Università degli Studi di Palermo 

This is my favorite work in the exhibition. It transported me back to my solo visit to Palermo back in 2007, when I spent long days exploring every angle of that rich, fascinating city. One of the best ways to get to know a city is to visit its markets, and historic Vucciria is one of the most colorful, lively and authentic city markets in the country. Vucciria has come to mean 'confusion' in Sicialian dialect, although it originally derived from the French word boucherie or 'butcher shop'. Guttuso's depiction has captured the ordered chaos of this magical place where the flavors and scents of that magnificent island mingle together, mirroring the diversity of its people and its long history.

For visiting information, see my Exhibits on Now page.

All images are provided courtesy of Comunicare Organizzando and may not be reproduced without permission.

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Paul Klee in Italy at the GNAM

Crosses and columns, Paul  Klee, 1931. Modern Art Gallery, Munich.

I realize, dear bloglings, that I have been inexcusably remiss when it comes to posting about Rome's many delicious exhibitions. We Romans (native or otherwise) are incredibly lucky to have so many diverse, world-class exhibits on at any given time. It is truly a challenge to find the time to see them all (and to write about them, I must admit!).

Japanese-American, Paul Klee, 1918. Private collection.

Now, I am not going to pretend that Paul Klee, the Swiss-born German artist whose work was influenced by expressionism, cubism and surrealism, is my favorite artist. In fact, I visited the Paul Klee Museum in Berne in 2008, and I concluded that I had seen more than enough of his art to last me for the rest of my hopefully long life.

Mazzarò, Paul Klee, 1924. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

So I will admit that I didn't whoop with joy when I heard that an exhibit of his work was coming to Rome. But I have to give it to him, his works are incredibly diverse and contrasting from one another. You could not possibly be bored by an exhibition of his art. Overwhelmed, perhaps. Bored, no.

Portrait of Mrs. P in the South, Paul Klee, 1924. Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.

This particular exhibit, held at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (GNAM), is titled Paul Klee in Italy. The majority of the works exhibited were inspired by Klee's numerous sojourns in Italy, where he traveled six times between 1901 and 1932. Here are a few highlights from the exhibit. It ends on 27 January 2013, so if you are a fan, do not delay! For opening hours and other info, visit my Exhibits on now page.

The Torso and her family with the full moon, Paul  Klee,  1939. Private collection.

Jester, Paul Klee, 1904. Zurich.

Night party, Paul Klee, 1921. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

With a gas lamp, Paul Klee, 1915. National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome.

All images are provided courtesy of Arthemisia Group and may not be reproduced without permission.

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Salvador Dalì: Renaissance-inspired Surrealism

Portrait of Salvador Dalì, Philippe Halsman, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres

Rome’s first exhibit celebrating the life and work of Salvador Dalì in almost 60 years opened this week at the Complesso Vittoriano. While I am always up for a new exhibit, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to be blown away by this one. I showed up at the exhibit expecting to see some melting clocks and such. I don’t think it’s a mystery to anyone who reads this blog what my artistic preferences are. I have absolutely nothing against Surrealism, but it doesn’t exactly boil my blood either.

Nevertheless, this exhibition did. I didn’t realize how greatly Dalì was directly inspired by Italian Renaissance art for so many of his works. As the exhibit takes place in Italy, it’s not a surprise that they stressed this particular detail at the press conference, but I didn’t imagine to what an extent it was true. Imagine my delight when the first work I encountered was this:

Madonna of Port Lligat (first version), Salvador Dalì, 1949. Haggerty Museum of Art, Milwaukee

Why, hello, Piero della Francesca, what are you doing here? I love quoting in art, just like I love it in music. When I discovered that the haunting melody from Rachmaninoff’s 2^nd piano concerto was echoed in the 1970s pop ballad All by myself by Eric Carmen, I was thoroughly delighted, and although you cannot exactly compare 70s pop with the likes of Dalì, this work caused the same shiver of recognition. Although both Madonna and Child are completely different, the shell and the suspended egg are unmistakable.

Madonna and Child, enthroned with saints (Brera Altarpiece), Piero della Francesca, 1472. Galleria Brera, Milano.

Even more unmistakable is Dalì homage to Michelangelo's first Pietà. He called it a "geological echo" due to the many rock formations that are unfortunately not very visible in this reproduction.

Geological Echo: The Pietà, Salvador Dalì, 1982. Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres

The Pietà, Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1497-99. St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

Study for Atomic Leda, Salvador Dalì, 1947. Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres

I adore this unexpected combination of Leonardo da Vinci's Leda and the Swan and Vitruvian Man.

Leda and the Swan (copy), Leonardo da Vinci, 1510-1515. Galleria Borghese, Rome

Dematerialization near the nose of Nero, Salvador Dalì, 1947. Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres

Dalì's inspiration by Italian art was not limited to works of the Renaissance as this "dematerialization" of the nose of Nero shows. The work was accompanied by the bust of Emperor Nero from which Dalì took his inspiration.

Destino: Large Head of Greek God, Salvador Dalì 1946. Walt Disney Animation Studios, Burbank

This still from the Disney short animated film Destino, co-created by Dalì is a fantastical recreation of this bust of Zeus from Otricoli that is on display beside it.

Head of Zeus, 1st century BC Roman original, Antiquarium Comunale, Otricoli

Elephant with Obelisk, Salvador Dalì, 1946. Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres

Anyone who has spent more than a little amount of time in Rome would recognize the elephant carrying an obelisk that was born from the unparalleled imagination of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. But surely only Dalì would have thought to add spiders' legs to the elephant.

L'elefantino, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1667, Piazza Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome

Self-portrait with Raphaelesque Neck, Salvador Dalì, 1921. Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres

Dalì felt a particular affinity to Raphael, even going so far as to call him his altar-ego. This self-portrait shows just how much he admired him, that he even strove to resemble him. "I let my hair grow long, as long as that of a girl, and looking at myself in the mirror, I loved to assume that melancholy expression, the fascinating stance of his self-portrait. How I would have liked to look like him!"

Self-portrait, Raphael Sanzio, 1506. Uffizi Gallery, Firenze

All of these Dalì works are part of the first section of the exhibit, far and away my favorite. But the exhibit also goes on to explore his later years with works that came solely from his own ingenious imagination and perspective, like the "soft" self-portrait below.

Soft self-portrait with grilled bacon, Salvador Dalì, 1941. Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres

See my Exhibits on Now page for information on when and where to visit this brilliant exhibit.

Photo sources:

1, 13, 15: provided courtesy of Comunicare Organizzando Press Office
other sources:  2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14

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A taste of home: The Guggenheim comes to Rome

Grrrrrrrrrrr!! Roy Lichtenstein, 1965. Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York

If you're getting a bit ODed on Italian art, if Caravaggio, Tintoretto, Guercino and all the Renaissance masters are getting you down, if you're an American, like me, living in Rome and trying to make sense of this crazy country, and just need a little bit of home so that things will make sense again, then have I got an exhibit for you! (There's always something on in Rome to solve any problem!)

Untitled (Green Silver), Jackson Pollock, 1949. Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York

60 works from the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice are on display at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni. And even though Italian art could never, ever get me down, and even though Abstract Expressionism will never make things make sense to me, I enjoyed the exhibit nonetheless.

Untitled, Mark Rothko, 1947. Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York

As post-war American art is really not my forte, I will not pretend to wax philosophical about it, but I will offer a couple of words about the exhibit. It covers 5 major genres of 20th century art: Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, Post-Minimalism/Conceptual Art and Photorealism. The first three exhibition rooms are dedicated to Abstract Expressionism, and thereafter there is one room dedicated to each genre.

Untitled, Mark Rothko, 1942. Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York

The works on display date from 1945 to 1980 and the exhibit seeks to fully explore the artistic movements of the American Avant-guard during a time in which the United States became one of the most important centers for the creation and promotion of new art.

Orange Disaster no. 5, Andy Warhol, 1963. Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York

I must admit I liked the Pop Art and the Photorealism works well and above the rest. That probably says something about my lack of imagination or education, or both I expect! This gumball one fascinates me. Why? I don't know. Maybe because I had a gumball machine (a real one that you had to put pennies in) when I was a little girl, and it must take me back. I just want to dive right in to all its colorful, sugary goodness. I was fascinated by how realistic these paintings are, how much some of them look like photographs. Not this one nearly as much as some of the others.

Gum Ball no. 10: "Sugar Daddy", Charles Bell, 1975. Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York

If you're American and a bit starved for some home-cooked art, or if like me American Avant-guard art is anything but familiar, either way, you'll enjoy this visually stunning and thought provoking exhibit. See my Exhibits on Now page for the whens and wheres.

All images provided courtesy of Azienda Speciale Palaexpo

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Georgia O'Keeffe: An American Icon in Rome

Last time I wrote (nearly 3 weeks ago! for shame!) Rome was in the midst of a delightful extended summer, where short sleeves and sandals were still the uniform. But autumn arrived suddenly and mercilessly, and overcoats and scarves replaced their lighter counterparts from one day to the next.

There is one thing that can make up for the decided chill in the air, and that is the explosion of exhibitions beginning this month. Check out the recently updated Exhibit on now page to see what’s new.

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