This morning Maestro Sgarbi inaugurated the exhibition of “Julius Evola the spiritual in art” in the beautiful setting of Villa Bertelli in Forte dei Marmi.
Set up by Beatrice Avanzi and Giorgio Calcara, the exhibition was born as a rediscovery of an author who is considered the most important poet and painter of the Dadaism in Italy, reinterpreted as mystical abstractionism.
IS Beatrice Avanziexpert on 19th and 20th century Italian art and head of the Modern Art area of the Mart, former curator at the Musées d’Orsay and de l’Orangerie in Paris and curator of the exhibition to place the exhibition within the right historical period: “Julis Evola was a philosopher and a writer and for a long time he was forgotten and obscured for his ideas closest to the most extreme right. What we wanted to do is build the work of Evola the artist. He has an artistic production that takes place in a very short period from 1915-16 to 1922, so he stops right on the edge of historical events. It was important to reevaluate Evola’s work in the avant-gardes. He had been forgotten in the historic exhibitions of futurism because there was a sort of damnation on his figure. Rediscovered in the 60s, Evola started painting again in those years, but in 1921 he declared his artistic suicide and the end of his artistic activity. In the exhibition we have tried for the first time to put together Evola’s almost complete oeuvre“.
Set up in collaboration with Giorgio Calcara, author of numerous anthropological and artistic essays on the relationship between the sacred and the profane and the concept of symbol, Calcara also spoke of Evola’s literary production, defining it “in many cases, not in a didactic way, the poems are the verbal and phonetic form of the abstract works that Evola painted, his paintings are the chromatic revelation of those words. Evola begins to write poetry when he was in his tent as a lieutenant. Poetry and painting, which he often defines as dark word and inner landscape, are the mysterious code with which Julius Evola faces the Italian avant-garde at the beginning of the 20th century“.
A reconstructed exhibition that rediscovers the character of the artist in its entirety “with Guido and Giorgio – tells Beatrice Avanzi – we went to look for the works in the most unexpected places, ringing the bells of Roman houses, where they had remained for a long time, right from those famous 60s when the first exhibition was held in Rome. We have tracked down almost all the works and are glad to present them.”
The best synthesis of the artist’s poetics comes from Leftover that explains “Evola’s futurism is a futurism that tends towards spirituality to alchemical and esoteric worlds, psychedelic worlds. This is also the reason why Evola then abandoned Futurism in 1918, because it was too tied to the material world and approached Dadaism, of which Evola can be considered the most important exponent in Italy. He begins a path of a spirituality that he calls inner landscape. They are works that no longer have a link with reality but which through the colors, shapes and writings tend to express a very profound spirituality, which is what Evola will then carry on throughout his life”.
I drive Andrea Pautassoof the Evola foundation intervened saying: “The message I would like to give on behalf of the Evola Foundation is to see this exhibition as the path taken by Evola, which is very particular because it crossed the avant-gardes, went from futurism, to abstractionism, to dadaism, up to arriving at a certain art that we could call psychedelic”.
To enrich the presentation the presence of the master Vittorio Sgarbi, who explained the concept of contemporary art in a very frank way, explaining the right balance between art, money and recognition as a contemporary artist.
Always provocative, openly provocative, amused by the provocations he makes in a witty way, Vittorio Sgarbi has recounted various anecdotes from the art world. Di Evola painted a lucid and enthusiastic picture.
The master then stayed after the conference, in order to be able to view the exhibition in complete calm and was invited to discover the “attic” of Villa Bertelli.
The exhibition will remain open every day from 16 to 19. Closed on December 25th and January 1st.
Admission: full 8 euros, reduced under 18/over 65 5 euros (children up to 10 years of age are free).
Tickets can be purchased at Villa Bertelli.
Vittorio Sgarbi inaugurated the exhibition “Julius Evola the spiritual in art”