Magic Realism Exhibition at Palazzo Reale Rewrites Fascist-Era Art History

A major exhibition at Palazzo Reale in Milan reexamines Italian Magic Realism from 1920 to 1935, challenging its historical dismissal as mere escapism. The show reveals how artists like Carlo Carrà, Felice Casorati, Giorgio de Chirico, Mario Sironi, Arturo Martini, Mario Tozzi, Cagnaccio di San Pietro, and Gino Severini used hyper-realistic yet uncanny imagery to both enchant reality and subtly oppose Mussolini's regime. Key works include Carrà's 'Le figlie di Loth' (1919), Casorati's 'Silvana Cenni', de Chirico's 'Autoritratto', Sironi's 'L'Allieva', Martini's 'Gli amanti', Tozzi's 'La toeletta del mattino', Casorati's 'Raja', Carrà's 'Pino sul mare', de Chirico's 'Ottobrata', Cagnaccio's 'Dopo l'Orgia' (1928) and 'Donna allo specchio' (1927), and Severini's 'Maternità'. The exhibition draws comparisons with German New Objectivity and American Edward Hopper. Notably, Cagnaccio's 'Dopo l'Orgia' was rejected by the XVI Venice Biennale jury, chaired by Margherita Sarfatti, for exposing moral corruption among Fascist leaders. The show runs at Palazzo Reale, Milan.