Reserve

Texts by Richard Peduzzi, Marc Bayard, Alvar González-Palacios, Dino Trappetti, Caterina d'Amico de Carvalho, François Regnault

A work devoted to stage design and especially at the “hands” of three great artists of twentieth century Italian theatre, Lila de Nobili, Piero Tosi and Luciano Damiani, all three of whom have left an ineffaceable mark on the development of stage design in the twentieth century with their revolutionary approach to perspective, light and costume. Their work is richly documented in this volume and the noteworthy research and in-depth study does just honour to works which have had worldwide effect on the history of theatre and cinema in the twentieth century.
This is a voyage through the intellect and talent of these three great figures of the modern Italian scene: Piero Tosi and Lila de Nobili, heirs of a long Italian tradition of stage design, followed the path set out by creators of theatre from the Renaissance through to modern times. Luciano Damiani, for his part, though perfectly in command of this tradition, was able to distance himself somewhat and create his own personal dramatic language. Both experiences are based on concepts of place that have their origins in ancient thinking, readapted in a more or less explicit fashion according to various ages.
Published for an exhibition in Florence, this volume presents a wide selection of works, including stage designs and costumes (both sketches and originals), for each of the three sections devoted respectively to Lila de Nobili, Piero Tosi and Luciano Daziai and covers outstanding moments in the works of these artists which developed within the history of stage design in Italy during the second half of the twentieth century.
Conceived with the aim of providing an overall vision of Italian creativity, between the fifties and the eighties, in this particular art form too often considered only in specialised spheres, Damiani, de Nobili, Tosi, three great artists of the twentieth century, draws a comparison and parallel between three extremely singular and significant personalities, underlining the important innovative contribution of their works in the creation of contemporary theatre.
Preceded by an introduction written by Richard Peduzzi, the volume includes texts by Marc Bayard, Alvar González-Palacios, Dino Trappetti, Caterina d'Amico and François Regnault.

Rome, Galleries of Villa Medici
27 January - 2 April 2006

 

The official catalogue is available at the exhibition bookshop and at the Skira bookstore in via Torino 61 in Milan and from Feb 22 2006 in all Italian bookstores.