“The Gaze and the Idea” Temporary Exhibit of art work from the Uffizi in Pietrasanta

The Uffizi and Pietrasanta Galleries ‘duet’ in the name of great contemporary art. It is The gaze and the idea , the last exhibition for 2022 created by the famous Florentine museum together with the municipality of Versilia (curated by Monica Alderotti, Chiara Celli and Vanessa Gavioli) as part of the Uffizi Diffusi project: until 19 February 2023, in the church and cloister of Sant’Agostino in Pietrasanta, in fact, self-portraits from the collections of the Galleries and sketches from the local museum dedicated to this type of work will “talk”.

The modern and contemporary artists protagonists of the ‘art colloquy’ are twelve in all: Francesco Messina, Costantino Nivola, Ugo Guidi, Piero Consagra, César Baldaccini, Arturo Carmassi, Marcello Tommasi, Dani Karavan, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Michel Folon , Igor Mitoraj, Helidon Xhixha.

The central nucleus of the exhibition is housed in the Sale Putti and in the Chapter of the Cloister, where thirteen self-portraits, nineteen sketches and two sculptures are set up. In these works, the constraint of depicting physical exteriority in order to enter the difficult task of giving a form to the multiplicity of the self becomes increasingly labile: the verisimilitude of the physiognomy, still present lithographs by Pietro Consagra and Francesco Messina disappears in the sketches of César Baldaccini, in which the image is deformed and in the serigraphs of Niki de Saint Phalle, an abstract universe of shapes and colours.

Jean Michel Folon’s watercolor speaks of the multiplication of identity, of one becoming one among many and all equal. Then there are the three-dimensional self-portraits like that of Igor Mitoraj and Marcello Tommasi, both inspired by classical culture, and by Helidon Xhixha, in which the observer is mirrored in the artist’s gaze until he gets lost. The sketches presented in the exhibition cover one hundred years of presence in Pietrasanta of great artists. In fact, the roundup opens with Francesco Messina, who arrived in the city in 1922, and closes with Helidon Xhixha who works in the area today. Each sketch tells the story of him.

Some preserve autographed notes of the artist, or indications for the use and consumption of the craftsmen, while a particular case is the model of the work with Francesco Messina, who arrived in the city in 1922, and ends with Helidon Xhixha who works in the area today. Each sketch tells the story of him. Some preserve autographed notes of the artist, or indications for the use and consumption of the craftsmen, while a particular case is the model of the work with Francesco Messina, who arrived in the city in 1922, and ends with Helidon Xhixha who works in the area today. Each sketch tells the story of him. Some preserve autographed notes of the artist, or indications for the use and consumption of the craftsmen, while a particular case is the model of the workThe Birth of Venus by Igor Mitoraj. It contains a graphite drawing by the Master’s hand, a unique case in the panorama of his works, both in marble and in bronze. A part of the works created starting from the sketches are now exhibited in the International Sculpture Park of Pietrasanta, but the majority have found a home in squares, parks, public or private collections around the world. The Pregnant Nana by Niki de Saint Phalle is located in Washington, at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, while the decorative panel by Dani Karavan was created to decorate the central hall of the Israel Diamond Exchange in Ramat-Gan in monumental dimensions in Israel ; Bronze depicting the Birth of Venusby Igor Mitoraj, ordinarily accepted in the collection of the Regional Council of Tuscany, is located in Pietrasanta precisely for the exhibition, together with its sketch.

The director of the Uffizi Galleries Eike Schmidt : “ Born in the seventeenth century, the Uffizi’s collection of self-portraits is also unique because it continues to be increased even today, thanks to purchases of works from the past and donations from important contemporary artists: it is precisely on this front that concentrates the Pietrasanta exhibition, demonstrating that attention to today is essential to the life of the museum ”.

The mayor of Pietrasanta Alberto Stefano Giovannetti : “ The Museo dei Bozzetti is not a simple container, but thrives on continuous relationships, thanks to the strong interaction it has established with its reference territory, represented primarily by Pietrasanta, but also by the wider Apuan-Versilia district, with international echoes and reflections. Here you will find a large selection of precious raw materials, marble, and master craftsmen of the highest level for whom artists from all over the world come to Pietrasanta”.