An exhibition of works of art by Italian futurists on view at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, from April 26 through June 1, 2012. Interview with Stefano Acunto, collector and Member of Casa Italiana's Advisory Board

Comments

1. I find it hilariously ironic that Futurist works are now displayed frequently in museums, the very places that the Marinetti decried in his original manifesto! It's quite a sad end to a movement which sought to annihilate the all vestiges of the past, all traditionalism, all "passatismo", in order to replace them with the new and the novel to end up preserved and showcased in institutions which encourage high appreciation for the past. Many futurists even created their pieces out of materials that would guaruntee their eventual decay, and an example of this can be seen in Umberto Boccioni's choice to cast Unique Forms of Continuity in Space in plaster, which is much less durable than the traditional bronze (although eventually the sculpture was cast in bronze, poor Umberto!). Then again, the museums of today are vastly different from those of the early 20th century; the art institutions of the fin de siecle period were highly exclusive and conservative corporations that scorned artistic innovation and lived off of pretension, no matter the cultural wealth of the heritage they owned. Museums today, I think, are much more akin to the "serata futurista" , the futurist evenings, which Marinetti organized: creative spaces which spurred and embraced experimentation and innovation, and which were open to all sectors of the public, not merely the elite. So, to some extent, I guess that Marinetti wouldn't be completely distraught to find Futurist retrospectives (an oxymoron I reckon, hehe) at the Guggenheim and other places.