Venues:
Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
Milan: Villa Reale, December 21, 2000–March 4, 2001.

Curator:
Luca Violo.

Artist:
Elio Luxardo.

Exhibition description:
This exhibition presented the work of Elio Luxardo, a major exponent of Italian photography during 1930s and 1940s. It was composed of eighty-five vintage and five modern prints from original plates housed at the photographic archive of 3M Italia. Of these plates, ten vintage prints had never been previously exhibited. The show included a series of close-up portraits of cultural icons such as Luigi Pirandello, cinema celebrities like Assia Noris and a young Silvana Mangano. Also represented were nudes dating from the late 1930s such as Venus, Sinuous Harmonies and Forza II. Luxardo’s photographic work in the mid 1930s and 1940s was indicative of the major trends of early twentieth century photography, as evident in his nudes, which can be compared with those of Weston, Hoyningen-Huene and Man Ray. His portraits display the influence of the fashion photographers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and of the Hollywood cinema of George Hurrel.

Partnerships:
Exhibition organized by Gruppo 3M Italia.

Catalogue:
Violo, Luca. Luxardo. Milano: Federico Motta Editore, 2000.

Catalogue in Italian. Includes preface by Antonio Pinna Berchet (Consigliere Delegato Gruppo 3M Italia), essay by Luca Violo, and a biography and a bibliography.

Library location: FORM A 0000 0013.