Giacomo Manzù Retrospective Opens at Arca in Vercelli

A major retrospective dedicated to Giacomo Manzù, titled 'La scultura è un raggio di luna', opens in Vercelli at the Arca space, running until May 21. The exhibition features over thirty works spanning from the 1940s to 1990, one year before the artist's death. Curated by Alberto Fiz, Marta Concina, and Daniele De Luca, the show includes loans from the Fondazione Manzù, Studio Copernico, and private collectors. Key themes include the famous 'Cardinali' and busts of his wife Inge, whom he met in 1954 while teaching at the Salzburg Academy. The scenography evokes St. Peter's colonnade, with illuminated columns leading to a reference to the 'Porta della Morte', a work Manzù labored on for seventeen years until 1964. The exhibition follows last year's show on Francesco Messina and is part of a series focusing on 20th-century Italian plastic artists. The Arca space, located in the former church of San Marco, also features recently restored frescoes in the Cappella della Natività di Maria and Cappella Pettenati. Vercelli itself is highlighted as a historic center, with landmarks such as the Abbey of Sant'Andrea (built 1219-1227), the Vercelli Book (a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon manuscript), and the Ottonian crucifix in the Cathedral of Sant'Eusebio. The Museo Borgogna recently added 23 new sculptures, and the Museo Leone houses archaeological finds from the Paleolithic to Roman times. The Canale Cavour, built between 1863 and 1866, remains central to the local rice economy.