Venue:
Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Curators:
Paola Mola and Fabio Vittucci.

Artist:
Medardo Rosso.

Exhibition description:
The exhibition rediscovered the complex contemporary aesthetic of Medardo Rosso through sculptures, plasters, photographs and previously unseen documents. Rosso, a renowned late nineteenth century artist, widely admired as a precursor of modernity. Yet, Rosso remains unknown for a large part of his production. The systematic and detailed scrutiny of documents, papers and letters belonging to the Museo and Archivio Medardo Rosso in Barzio (Como) opened new, unexpected horizons that contradict the perceived image of the ‘Scapigliatura’–Impressionist sculptor. By nature Rosso was a hidden talent: he skillfully concealed all of his photographic work, he exhibited his most treasured works more than fifteen years after their creation and, like Marcel Duchamp, destroyed all of his correspondence at the end of his life. From the very start of his career he manipulated his biography, contributing to the definition of an unequivocal view of his art that was accepted unquestioningly by historiography to the extent that the entire twentieth century output of his creative energy has remained misunderstood until now. The exhibition was organized with the Museo and Archivio Medardo Rosso in Barzio (Como), which conserves the legacy of the sculptor’s works and archive, bequeathed in its entirety to his great-granddaughter, Danila Marsure Rosso.

Partnerships:
Exhibition organized by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in collaboration with Museo and Archivio Medardo Rosso, Barzio.

Catalogue:
Mola, Paola. Rosso: The Transient Form. Milano: Skira, 2007.

Two catalogues, in English and Italian. Catalogues include foreword by Thomas Krens (Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation), preface and essays by Paola Mola, and checklist with catalogue entries by Fabio Vittucci. Catalogues also contain a biography and a bibliography.

Library location: GUGG PGC 2007 .07 (English), GUGG PGC 2007 .08 (Italian).