Galleria Bianconi presents Umberto Bignardi's optical devices in Milan

Galleria Bianconi in Milan is staging the second solo show in three years dedicated to Umberto Bignardi (Bologna, 1935), continuing the rediscovery of an artist long undervalued in Italy. The exhibition focuses on Bignardi's 'visual experiments' from the 1960s in Rome, reconstructing two optical devices: the Fantavisore (1965), a precursor to the lightbox that illuminates in intermittent zones to reveal a drawing, and the Rotor (1967), a circular structure projecting sequential images onto walls, evoking magic lanterns and Muybridge's chronophotography. Also on view are paintings on transparent surfaces where lighting creates a double on the wall, a refined group of drawings from the same period, and archival documents including correspondence with Germano Celant. Bignardi's work is rooted in stylized drawing, with recurring icons that critique mass society while retaining vitality through line and color. The show underscores his radical research and the kinetic, cinematic quality of his imagery.