Detail from an untitled portrait (verso) by Pietro Ghizzardi, 1962, mixed media on cardboard, 30.7 x 18.1 inches (78 x 46 centimeters). Photo courtesy of Maroncelli 12, Milan
PIETRO GHIZZARDI’S VIVID PORTRAITS

AN EXHIBITION IN MILAN OF RARELY SEEN WORKS FOCUSES ON THE ARTIST’S NOTION OF BEAUTY



Davide Macchiarini, a young curator who comes from Viareggio, Italy, a coastal town in northern Tuscany, recently graduated from Goldsmiths, a division of the University of London, where he studied contemporary art theory. He organized Pietro Ghizzardi: The Sea and a Beautiful Woman to Kiss, an exhibition that is now on view (through February 25, 2022) at Maroncelli 12, a gallery in Milan.

Pietro Ghizzardi (1906-1986), a self-taught artist from northern Italy, made drawings of animals, women, and his family members. In the world of art brut and outsider art, he is probably best known for his vivid drawings of women. Here, Macchiarini tells us about the themes of this exhibition of works that have rarely been seen before and shares some of his insights about the artist’s background.

Pietro Ghizzardi, Untitled (verso), date unknown, mixed media on cardboard, 31.5 x 19.3 inches (80 x 49 centimeters). Photo courtesy of Maroncelli 12. In this picture, Davide Macchiarini notes, the artist made use of chromatic tones that “are reminiscent of the soil” and allude to his rural, peasant upbringing.
LOG IN or SUBSCRIBE
to read the whole article.