A Lucca c’è la mostra perfetta per riscoprire il talento del pittore Emilio Malerba
The Fondazione Ragghianti in Lucca is hosting a major retrospective dedicated to Emilio Malerba, a key member of the Novecento Italiano movement who died a century ago. Curated by Paolo Bolpagni and Elena Pontiggia, the exhibition marks the first solo presentation of Malerba’s work since 1931. The showcase spans his early career in commercial advertising for brands like Amaro Ramazzotti to his mature paintings that lean toward Magic Realism, featuring intimate portraits that prioritize psychological depth over narrative.
This exhibition is a significant scholarly effort to rehabilitate the legacy of a refined but often overlooked artist of the early 20th century. By positioning Malerba alongside his Novecento peers and highlighting his connections to both Renaissance masters and French Symbolist poetry, the show provides a deeper understanding of the intellectual foundations of Italian modernism. It serves as a crucial rediscovery for historians and collectors interested in the evolution of figurative painting and the transition from Belle Époque aesthetics to the structured naturalism of the 1920s.