A Legacy of Love: Italian Memorial Sculpture
Exhibition at the Library Gallery Aug 29 - Dec 21
The Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents A Legacy of Love: Italian Memorial Sculpture. Dramatic social, political and artistic changes swept across Italy in the 19th and early 20th centuries, finding expression in remarkable funerary sculptures commissioned by the newly affluent middle class. Featured in A Legacy of Love are photographs of memorial sculptures created between 1820 and 1840, and ranging in style from Neoclassicism through ever more astonishing forms of Realism, Symbolism and Art Deco. These sculptures, artifacts of both a personal and a public history, express the values, aspirations, virtues and sins of a rising social and economic class which had attained an unexpected degree of power.
The 62 photographs presented in this exhibition are by renowned photographers and friends Robert Fichter and Robert Freidus. Fichter is noted for his satirical images reflecting on American culture and Freidus is highly respected for his dedication to documenting and advocating for the preservation of Italian funerary sculpture.
On Tuesday, November 1 at 4 pm Robert Fichter and Robert Freidus will present a public talk on their work.
The Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 12 noon to 4 pm, on Thursday until 8 pm, and Saturday and Sunday 1 - 5 pm. Admission is free. For more information call 410-455-2270.
The presentation of this exhibition is supported by an arts program grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support comes from the Friends of the Library & Gallery and individual contributions.
Image: Photograph by Robert Fichter and Robert Friedus of the Memorial to Tullo Morgagni, sculpted by Guido Micheletti (1921, 1930), and located in the Cimitero Monumentale, Milan, Italy. Photograph c. 2004, courtesy of the artists.