Curating Figurative Painting: Alfredo Cramerotti and Margherita de Pilati on Resilience and Italian Talent

In an interview on Artribune, Alfredo Cramerotti and Margherita de Pilati discuss the enduring relevance of figurative painting. Cramerotti, co-curator of the exhibition, frames painting as a resilient cultural product that adapts through digital media, video games, and social platforms like Instagram. He notes that millennials and post-millennials often encounter art online before physical spaces, creating a reciprocal loop between virtual and physical communities. De Pilati, curator at Galleria Civica di Trento, reveals the exhibition features 14 Italian artists (7 men, 7 women) selected for technical skill, including Patrizio Di Massimo, Margherita Manzelli, and Andrea Fontanari. She defends figurative painting against critics who deem it outdated, emphasizing that traditional techniques can be renewed. The show includes works from collections like Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and Collezione De Iorio. De Pilati laments Italy's tendency to undervalue local talent, asserting that Italian painters need not learn from foreign peers. The exhibition aims to demonstrate that figurative painting remains a vital, evolving medium.