Franca Ghitti retrospective at Museo d'Arte Mendrisio

The Museo d'Arte di Mendrisio hosts a retrospective of Franca Ghitti (1932–2012), featuring around sixty works that trace her career. Curated by Barbara Paltegni Malacrida in collaboration with Elena Pontiggia, the exhibition opens with the impactful iron installation 'La cascata' in the cloister. Ghitti's language is rooted in ancient natural elements, fossils, and rock engravings from Val Camonica, exploring the four fundamental elements and human craftsmanship. Wood dominates, evoking tactile emotions and ancestral memories, while iron works achieve lightness through unique processing. A section is dedicated to paper works created with publisher Vanni Scheiwiller. The museum also displays the Collezione Bolzani, with works by Sironi, Morandi, Guttuso, Carrà, and others. Ghitti's practice spans wood, iron, glass, cardboard, and techniques like inlay and sculpture, inspired by nature and her origins in the Brescian school. Her experiences in Kenya influenced totem production and tribal circular forms. The exhibition runs at the Museo d'Arte di Mendrisio.