Fascist censorship of Modigliani, Campigli, and de Chirico at Galleria Borromini in 1944

In April 1944, during the Italian Social Republic under Nazi occupation, three men visited the Galleria Borromini in Como to inspect an upcoming exhibition. They ordered the removal of works by Amedeo Modigliani and Massimo Campigli because they were Jewish, and also demanded the removal of metaphysical paintings by Giorgio de Chirico, stating "This painting must disappear, Hitler said so." The story, partly fictionalized, is based on an article from Milano Sera published on March 17, 1949, which reported that the gallery director was summoned to the Prefecture and forced to remove the paintings. The event illustrates how Nazi cultural policy was enforced in Italy, with art deemed degenerate being censored. The de Chirico painting in question was "Manichini guerrieri (Archeologi)" from 1926. The episode is recounted in the catalog for the exhibition "Dal caso Nolde al caso de Chirico" curated by Demetrio Paparoni, held at FarsettiArte in Cortina d'Ampezzo from August 8-30, 2020.