Annamaria Tosini: Outsider Art Exhibition in Palermo
A posthumous exhibition of Annamaria Tosini (Palermo, 1930-2013), curated by Eva Di Stefano, opens at the Cappella dell'Incoronazione in Palermo, organized with Riso and Fondazione Orestiadi. Tosini, an outsider artist from a wealthy Palermitan family, was institutionalized after her husband's death and financial ruin, creating fragile sculptures from discarded materials like paper, fabric, and dried fruit peels. Di Stefano discovered her in 2012 in a nursing home and rescued 94 works from destruction. The show features religious and feminine archetypes, including angels, Madonnas, and self-portraits, displayed in pressed cardboard cases designed by Enzo Fiammetta. Tosini's art served as a survival strategy and expression of freedom, echoing her statement: "I am the rose of Jericho." The exhibition runs ten years after her death, following a 2013 show at the Orto Botanico.
Key facts
- Annamaria Tosini was born in Palermo in 1930 and died in 2013.
- Eva Di Stefano is an art historian and Outsider Art scholar.
- The exhibition is held at the Cappella dell'Incoronazione, a detached venue of Riso museum.
- Fondazione Orestiadi co-organized the exhibition.
- Tosini was institutionalized after her husband's death in 1997 and financial collapse.
- Her sculptures use paper, fabric, dried fruit peels, feathers, and other found materials.
- Only 94 works from 2011-2013 survive; earlier works were destroyed.
- Enzo Fiammetta designed the display cases for the exhibition.
Entities
Artists
- Annamaria Tosini
- Eva Di Stefano
- Enzo Fiammetta
Institutions
- Riso
- Fondazione Orestiadi
- Cappella dell'Incoronazione
- Università di Palermo
- Osservatorio Outsider Art
- Orto Botanico di Palermo
- Glifo Edizioni
Locations
- Palermo
- Italy
- Casteldaccia
- viale Regina Margherita