Art exhibition. “Serafino Macchiati: Moi et l’autre”

The exhibition “Serafino Macchiati: Moi et l’autre” will open on Thursday, November 9, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. at the Pinacoteca Comunale Carlo Servolini (Villa Carmignani, via Garibaldi, n. 77 – Collesalvetti). The exhibition explores the boundaries of Impressionism between Belle Epoque euphoria and the dramas of the psyche. It is promoted and organized by the Municipality of Collesalvetti, with the sponsorship of the Tuscany Region and the Municipality of Camerino, the artist’s birthplace. It also has the contribution of the Livorno Foundation and collaboration with Il Divisionismo – Pinacoteca Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona / Media Sponsors. The exhibition is conceived and curated by Francesca Cagianelli and Silvana Frezza Macchiati.

This is the third exhibition event of 2023 in which the Municipality of Collesalvetti inaugurates a new research strand aimed at exploring and disseminating the countless connections that link the work of the local artistic entourage of the Servolini family, preserved in the municipal art gallery, to the major European art movements of the early 20th century.

“We started with the exhibition of Carlo Wostry,” says councilor Adriana Ciurli, “to arrive, with Serafino Macchiati, at an exhibition project that enhances the links between the territory and the broader European cultural context: a project aimed at promoting the development of the enhancement path initiated by the Municipality of Collesalvetti.”

The exhibition, which is dedicated to investigating the relationships between Serafino Macchiati (Camerino, January 17, 1861 – Paris, December 11, 1916), Vittore Grubicy de Dragon, and the Livorno divisionist entourage, with particular reference to Benvenuto Benvenuti, will feature over 70 paintings and graphics from important Italian collections. It is divided into five sections based on biographical and stylistic criteria, which illustrate the artist’s stylistic evolution leading to recognition by the most accredited European critics.

The exhibition is organized under the direction of a Scientific Committee composed of Emanuele Bardazzi, art historian; Francesca Cagianelli, art historian and curator of the Pinacoteca Comunale Carlo Servolini; Silvana Frezza Macchiati, curator of the Serafino Macchiati Archive; Dario Matteoni, art historian and Director of the Academy of Fine Arts in Pisa, “Alma Artis”; Camilla Testi, translator and essayist, responsible for the Enrico Piceni Archive.

The exhibition and catalog highlight some significant biographical milestones, such as Macchiati’s apprenticeship in Antonio Mancini’s studio, his cohabitation with Giacomo Balla, his collaboration with renowned national and international magazines, and his commissions from prestigious French publishers of the time.

Serafino Macchiati (Camerino 1861-Paris 1916) – Brief biography source from Treccani online
He was born in Camerino on January 17, 1861 to Primo, a teacher, and Venanzia Bartoloni. As a child, he was forced to move frequently with his family and lived in Emilia, near Naples, and finally, in 1880, in Rome, where he resided until the end of the century.

Towards the end of the century, he decided to dedicate himself to other pursuits. First, he worked on advertising posters with Balla, and then mainly focused on illustrating Italian books and magazines. He collaborated with Sonzogno and the Fratelli Treves and contributed to the pages of “Tribuna illustrata” (1892-96).

In 1898, Macchiati was called to Paris by the publisher Lemerre, who had him illustrate four novels by P. Bourget within two years. New publishers requested his work, especially Hachette and Fayard.

In France, Macchiati resumed painting, driven by his enduring love for nature, revitalized by the Impressionist culture of the place. It was for these characteristics that V. Grubicy, upon seeing his canvases, encouraged his brother Alberto to involve Macchiati in a major exhibition organized at the family gallery in Paris.

Macchiati’s greatest merit remains his contribution to the valorization of illustration as a means of disseminating art and culture. At the beginning of the 20th century, he began new collaborations, including with the publisher Lafitte, the German “Illustrierte Zeitung” in Leipzig, and the French magazines “Figaro illustré” (1902-03) and “Je sais tout” (1905-16).

Considered one of the most important Italian artists in France and one of the most significant Italian illustrators in Paris, Macchiati was awarded the Knight of the Crown of Italy by Vittorio Emanuele III on April 28, 1910.

He died in Paris on December 12, 1916.

In 1922, the 13th Venice Biennale set up a room dedicated entirely to Macchiati, containing thirty-two paintings on various themes.