Massimo Campigli's Etruscan Dialogue at Palazzo Franchetti, Venice

A new exhibition at Palazzo Franchetti in Venice, managed by ACP – Art Capital Partners (linked to Galleria d’Arte Maggiore di Bologna), presents 35 works by Massimo Campigli (1895–1971) alongside about 50 Etruscan artifacts. Curated by Franco and Alessia Calarota, the show highlights the deep dialogue between Campigli’s archaic compositions (1928–1966) and ancient votive statues, many previously unseen and resulting from seizures and restitutions. Campigli’s female figures, often depicted as hourglass-shaped “amphora women,” reflect his inspiration from Etruscan art, which he described as bringing a “pagan happiness” into his work after visiting the Museo Etrusco di Villa Giulia in 1928. The exhibition also explores Campigli’s use of ambiguous symbols—necklaces as jewelry and chains, railings as decoration and bars—and his connection to the group “I sette di Parigi” alongside de Chirico, Tozzi, Severini, De Pisis, Paresce, and Savinio. A notable display includes a sarcophagus and Campigli’s 1928 painting “Gli Zingari,” featuring a woman with an amphora and a distant rider under a moonlit Roman aqueduct backdrop.