Enrico Accatino Retrospective at Sala 1 in Rome

Sala 1 – Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea di Roma has launched 'Riquadrare la storia', a series of exhibitions focused on preserving the artistic legacy of key Italian artists. After featuring Renato Fascetti and Giovanni Pizzo, the gallery now presents a mini-retrospective of Enrico Accatino (Genoa, 1920 – Rome, 2007), whose 1970 exhibition 'Arazzi della Passione' inaugurated Sala 1. Over fifty years later, tapestries, paintings, and sculptures from the 1950s and 1960s return to the gallery, offering insight into postwar Italian avant-gardes. Curated by Accatino's son Alfredo Accatino and Mary Angela Schroth, the show transforms the space into a bustling artist's studio. Sculptures on pedestals made of tables and easels divide the room, allowing visitors to appreciate the works alongside dark gray-toned paintings and tapestries that contrast with the warm brick walls. Accatino, a student of Felice Casorati, studied abroad and graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, working in Rome until his death. Sala 1 was founded in 1970 by artist Tito Amodei in a former basilica near the Santuario della Scala Santa, becoming a historic venue for experimental contemporary art. The gallery has hosted projects like Aljoscha's 'A notion of cosmic teleology' at Sala Santa Rita, the 'Videozoom' series featuring artists from Denmark, Indonesia, and Bahia, and 'Under the Same Roof' by Marina Buening, Kristien De Neve, Anita Guerra, and Maria Korporal.