Lunar Art: From Lucian to Luke Jerram, 50 Years of Moon Imagery
The moon has fascinated humans since antiquity, appearing in works from Lucian of Samosata's 2nd-century 'True History' to Giacomo Leopardi's 'Canto notturno'. In the last century, this fascination intensified. Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968) preceded the Apollo 11 landing by a year, sparking conspiracy theories that Kubrick filmed the moon landing. Fabio Mauri's 'La luna' (1968) was shown at Galleria La Tartaruga and later at Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome. Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' (7-meter-diameter sculpture) tours globally. Barry Malzberg's 'Beyond Apollo' (1972) explores unreliable narration. Ian MacDonald's trilogy (2015-2019) depicts a feudal-industrial lunar colony controlled by five families, optioned for TV as 'Game of Thrones in space'.
Key facts
- Lucian of Samosata wrote 'True History' in the 2nd century AD featuring a moon voyage.
- Ludovico Ariosto's 'Orlando furioso' (1516) includes Astolfo's trip to the moon.
- Giacomo Leopardi's 'Canto notturno' addresses the moon.
- Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968) preceded the Apollo 11 moon landing.
- Fabio Mauri's 'La luna' was created for 'Teatro delle mostre' (1968) at Galleria La Tartaruga.
- Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' is a 7-meter-diameter sculpture with NASA projections.
- Barry Malzberg's 'Beyond Apollo' (1972) features an unreliable narrator astronaut.
- Ian MacDonald's lunar trilogy (2015-2019) is optioned for TV as 'Game of Thrones in space'.
Entities
Artists
- Lucian of Samosata
- Ludovico Ariosto
- Giacomo Leopardi
- Georges Méliès
- Stanley Kubrick
- Arthur C. Clarke
- David Bowie
- Pink Floyd
- Led Zeppelin
- John Carpenter
- Roger Waters
- Fabio Mauri
- Plinio De Martiis
- Achille Bonito Oliva
- Luke Jerram
- Barry Malzberg
- Ian MacDonald
- Christian Caliandro
Institutions
- Galleria La Tartaruga
- Palazzo delle Esposizioni
- Centro Pecci
- NASA
- Artribune
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Prato
- Moon