Pericle Fazzini, lo scultore del vento

An anthological exhibition that re-proposes to the Capitoline public a rich series of masterpieces by the sculptor from the Marche region.
Selected from the thousands of sketches, drawings, sculptures of small and large dimensions, now preserved at the "Pericle Fazzini" Foundation, about fifty of the most representative works of the career of one of the greatest Italian artists of the 20th century are on display.
Curated by art historian Alessandro Masi, in collaboration with Roberta Serra and Chiara Barbato, the exhibition in Rome traces the whole of the creative life by Pericle Fazzini, from the first works of the 1930s and 1940s such as "Donna nella tempesta" (1932) and " Il ragazzo con i gabbiani" (1940-46) to the original sketches of the "Resurrezione" for the Pier Luigi Nervi room in the Vatican, the last work of a unique artist after Michelangelo's Cappella Sistina. The monumental sculpture of 1932, 'Uscita dall'Arca', with which the young Fazzini won a scholarship for the Pensionato Artistico Nazionale, the 'Ritratto di Ungaretti' (1936; cast 1987), the 'Ritratto di Sibilla Aleramo' (1947) and the 'Danza', which saw him as a protagonist at the Quadriennale Romana in 1935, are of particular interest.
The story of the artist from the Marche region, one of the most appreciated authors of the 'Scuola Romana', who was born in Grottammare (AP) on 4 May 1913 and died in Rome on 4 December 1987, remains among the highest testimonies of 20th century sacred art. His yearning for beauty as unveiling of the Divine marks a turning point in contemporary plastic research, translating the sacred text of Scripture into a dialoguing form between Faith and Art.
The son of a poor carpenter from Piceno, Pericle Fazzini became famous thanks to the poet Mario Rivosecchi, who introduced him into the circles of the Rome of Mafai, Scipione, Mazzacurati, Ziveri and the art dealer Anna Laetitia Pecci Blunt (Galleria La Cometa), who marked a turning point in art in an expressionist and anti-rhetorical direction against all forms of art of the regime and celebratory fascism.
Conserved in major museums around the world, Fazzini's sculptures can be found in important private and public collections such as the Moma in New York, the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome, the Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Momat in Tokyo.
A rich and informed catalogue (De Luca Editori d’Arte) contains texts by Alessandro Masi, Bruno Racine, Claudio Strinati, Salvatore Italia, Roberta Serra, and Chiara Barbato. A vast bibliographic catalogue and a supplement of anthological writings, edited by Italian language historian Giulio Ferroni, enrich the publication.