Book reconstructs history of Capo d'Orlando art exhibition Vita e paesaggio

A new book by Marco Bazzini, published by Metilene with support from the Comune di Capo d'Orlando, reconstructs the history of Vita e paesaggio di Capo d'Orlando, a long-running art exhibition that began in 1955 and ended in 2009. The exhibition, held in a school during summer months, initially focused on figurative landscape painting but evolved over decades to embrace experimentation, including artist residencies, poster art, and conceptual works. Key figures included critics Vittorio Fagone and Basilio Reale, and local cultural animator Tano Cuva. The exhibition amassed a collection of about 500 works by artists such as Emilio Isgrò, Pino Pinelli, Giosetta Fioroni, Turi Simeti, Alberto Garutti, Fabrizio Plessi, Emilio Vedova, Ugo Nespolo, Renata Boero, Superstudio, and Hidetoshi Nagasawa. The collection is now stored in the inadequate Pinacoteca comunale Tono Zancanaro, overseen by the Laboratorio Orlando Contemporaneo (LOC). The book draws on period newspapers and Cuva's memoirs, as no structured archive exists. Bazzini traces the exhibition's rise and decline within the broader context of post-war Italian art prizes and regional cultural policies.