Salvatore Meo's Roman studio preserved as a time capsule of his art

The Rome studio of American-born artist Salvatore Meo (1914–2004) remains exactly as he left it, a preserved time capsule of his daily creative practice. Located steps from the tourist chaos of the Trevi Fountain, the apartment's every millimeter—from crushed plastic bottles in wooden boxes to assemblages of stones, dolls, and wire—testifies to Meo's pioneering use of discarded materials. Curator Mary Angela Schroth, artistic director of Sala 1 (Italy's oldest non-profit space) and a friend of the artist, guides visitors through the space, recounting Meo's marginalization by the art system. The studio houses works such as "Vicino ai sensi" (1949) and reflects Meo's compulsive assemblage practice, influenced by Kurt Schwitters, as noted by critic Mario Diacono in 1965. Schroth hopes that a Rome museum—perhaps the MACRO under director Luca Lo Pinto—will eventually bring Meo's extraordinary career to a wider public. The article, published in Grandi Mostre #26, was written by Lorenzo Madaro, a contemporary art curator and professor at Brera Academy in Milan.