Elisa Montessori's '50×35' Survey at Monitor Rome Celebrates a Decade of Collaboration

At 94, Elisa Montessori (Genoa, 1931) presents '50×35' at Monitor in Rome, a survey spanning works from 2014 to 2026 that marks ten years of collaboration with the gallery. The exhibition includes paintings, installations, sculptures, an artist's book, and a large pine branch, showcasing her relentless experimentation across media. A site-specific installation incorporates Virginia Woolf's poem 'Il segno' written on the wall alongside the series 'Il segno sul muro #1-14' (2026). Four 2024 works revive the title 'Tropismi' from 1973, featuring rare photographic elements from 1976. The 'Parafrasi della Natura' series (2024) uses transparent plastics formerly used to wrap books and flowers, transformed into landscapes with black ink. Ceramic works, some made with ceramist Riccardo Monachesi (e.g., 'Pneuma', 2014), and others like 'Giardino' (2020), highlight her painterly intervention on purchased ceramics. The large mixed-media piece 'Lungotevere #2' (2018) and the artist's book '50 x 35' encapsulate her research. The exhibition runs until July 17, 2026, at Monitor, Via degli Aurunci 44, 46, 48, Rome.