Roberto Paci Dalò's 'Ombre' Reimagines Museum Guide as Artist's Book

Roberto Paci Dalò (Rimini, 1962) has created 'Ombre', an artist's book published by Quodlibet for the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria in Perugia. The project was commissioned by museum director Marco Pierini to celebrate the museum's centenary with a non-traditional publication. Dalò worked from December 2018 to spring 2019, producing 112 pages of handwritten stories, pencil, watercolor, and ink drawings focusing on minute details of masterpieces by Duccio, Piero della Francesca, Perugino, and Pinturicchio. Inspired by art historian Daniel Arasse's attention to detail and Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle's method, Dalò created a 'constellation of fragments' including quotes from Giorgio Agamben and Saul Steinberg. The book serves as both an autonomous artwork and a practical guide that reveals overlooked details. Pierini plans to commission similar notebooks from artists and other disciplines in the coming years. The book has been presented in Bologna with Cristina Ambrosini, Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape, who called it a case study for heritage management. International distribution is underway despite Italian-only text. A future presentation is scheduled for January 8 in Rimini at bar Lento with art historian Alessandra Bigi Iotti, Tibetologist Chiara Bellini, and semiologist Paolo Fabbri.