Italienische Realisten 1945 bis 1974
Italian realists, 1945–1974
The working group wanted to counter common perceptions of Italy as nothing but a tourist destination in the south that is home to migrant workers. In thematic terms, this catalogue belongs to a group of projects at the nGbK addressing the democratic legacy of fine art since World War II. The aim was to show that there has always been art that sided with the oppressed against terror, violence, and injustice—Italian realism is a cultural movement with roots in the resistance against fascism. The catalogue contains notes on the realism debate, a detailed chronology, and work by a selection of artists including Renato Guttuso, Renzo Vespignani, and Gianluigi Mattia, with biographies and illustrations, some in color, the main themes of the works reproduced being street fighting, police violence, and oppression.
Eds.: nGbK and Kunstamt Kreuzberg
Work group: Rainer Civegna, Peter Hielscher, Lothar C. Poll, Dieter Ruckhaberle, Christiane Zieseke