Alfredo Volpi retrospective at Centro Pecci explores migration and hybrid aesthetics

The Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato is hosting 'Alfredo Volpi. Lucca-Sao Paulo (1896-1988)', the first complete retrospective of the Italian-Brazilian artist in an Italian institution. Curated by Cristiano Raimondi, the exhibition runs until June 9, 2024, and features over 70 paintings. Volpi, born in Lucca in 1896 and raised in São Paulo, is presented as a migrant artist whose work embodies a hybrid aesthetic between Italian and Brazilian cultures. The show traces his evolution from a self-taught naturalist to a mature artist after his participation in the 1950 Venice Biennale, which included a trip to Italy where he studied Giotto, Margheritone d'Arezzo, and modernists like Carrà and Morandi. Volpi's use of egg tempera, a medieval technique, lends his iconic flag and building motifs a timeless, universal quality. The exhibition design incorporates cinematic perspectives reminiscent of Wes Anderson, enhancing the panoramic gallery spaces. The article also discusses the broader theme of migration in contemporary art, citing examples from Ai Weiwei to Banksy and Adrian Paci, and notes the 2019 Stedelijk Museum exhibition 'Chagall, Picasso, Mondrian and Others: Migrant Artists in Paris' as a rare precedent.