Corrado Cagli's great-niece denies artist was fascist

Valery Decola, great-niece of Italian artist Corrado Cagli (Ancona, 1910 – Rome, 1976), has publicly refuted claims that her great-uncle was a fascist. The rebuttal comes in response to a December 2023 article on Artribune reviewing Cagli's exhibition at the Center for Italian Modern Art (CIMA) in New York, which ran until January 27, 2024. The article, titled "La mostra newyorkese di Corrado Cagli, artista ebreo che fu fascista" (The New York exhibition of Corrado Cagli, Jewish artist who was a fascist), summarized curator Raffaele Bedarida's historical interpretation. Decola asserts that Cagli was not a fascist and that no historical sources support such a claim. She explains that her family were secular Jews with thriving intellectual and artistic activities but no connection to the political propaganda of the era. When Mussolini came to power, Cagli was already an established artist and was commissioned to create large-scale works for major Italian cities. Decola states that Cagli's desire was to continue living and working in his beloved homeland and to create a lasting cultural legacy, without intentionally supporting fascist policies or ideologies. She argues that some of his countercultural works, which could be interpreted as protest art, drew criticism and led to his exile. Decola calls for an accurate representation of Cagli's life and work, emphasizing that his artistic legacy should not be confused with fascist involvement.