PARIGI A TORINO. STORIA DELLE MOSTRE ¿PITTORI D¿OGGI. FRANCIA-ITALIA¿

This project reconstructs the development of art exhibitions promoted by the committee “Francia-Italia” in Turin from 1951 to 1964. This committee organized the art exhibitions “Peintres d’aujourd’hui. France-Italie” (or “Pittori d’Oggi. Francia-Italia”), earlier in the halls of the “Promotrice” from 1951 to 1959, and later at GAM from 1961. This committee extends its own action, beyond the seven editions of “Pittori d’Oggi” (1951,1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961) with Chagall’s (1953), de Staël’s (1960), Robert and Sonia Delaunay’s (1960), Vieira da Silva’s (1964) great exhibitions. The exhibitions “Pittori d’Oggi” arose on the initiative of some influential members of Turin upper middle class and it have been organized by Vittorio Viale, director of Musei Civici, and by the critic of art and journalist Luigi Carluccio. The exhibitions should symbolize the modern art twinning of two nations. For each exhibitions the two different artistic committees, one for France (Cogniat, Cassou, Lassaigne, Estienne, Jullian, Huyghe, Besson, Laymarie) and one for Italy (Viale, Arcangeli, Argan, Carluccio, Pallucchini, Ragghianti e Vitali), draw up long lists of artists who would represent, on their opinion, the best of the artistic production of the two countries. In this way, “Francia-Italia” takes part in the debate between realism and abstractionism and show the progress of critical reception of the French painting in Italy, from Pignon and Manessier to Fautrier.