Galleria Russo Roma presents Duilio Cambellotti's applied arts

Galleria Russo in Rome, which holds and manages the entire archive of Duilio Cambellotti (Rome, 1876–1960), has opened a new exhibition focusing on his contributions to the first two International Biennials of Decorative Arts in Monza (1923 and 1925). Curated by Francesco Tetro and Daniela Fonti, the show features around 160 works from the archive, spanning 1899 to 1939. Cambellotti, a self-taught polymath, worked as a sculptor, illustrator, decorator, set designer, designer, painter, graphic artist, engraver, and furniture maker. His practice was influenced by William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, as well as Wagner's ideal of the total work of art. The exhibition highlights the variety and multidisciplinary nature of his output, including bronze sculptures evoking the tragic solitude of the Roman countryside, tempera sketches for sets at the Greek Theatre of Syracuse, and works exploring an archaic, mythological feminine. The curators aim to revive a lost world of decorative arts, noting that abroad museums of decorative arts exist, while in Italy they are largely absent and works remain stored in museum deposits.