Topazia Alliata: The Overlooked Princess-Gallerist of Postwar Rome
The biography 'Topazia Alliata. Una Galleria d’arte con vista sul mondo' (De Luca Editori d’Arte, 2022) by Toni Maraini focuses on Topazia Alliata, who was born in Palermo in 1913 and passed away in Rome in 2015. She was the daughter of Prince Enrico Alliata and Amelia de Olivares, and she studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti, where she formed friendships with artists such as Renato Guttuso. Notable works of hers include 'Arsura' and 'Donna alla fonte' (1931). In 1935, she wed anthropologist Fosco Maraini and faced internment during WWII. After the conflict, she ran the family winery, separated from Maraini, and established Galleria Topazia Alliata in Rome in 1959, which closed in 1964. Subsequently, she worked with Libreria Feltrinelli and Galleria Sprovieri. A retrospective of her work took place in 2016, following her death in 2015.
Key facts
- Topazia Alliata was born in Palermo in 1913 and died in Rome in 2015.
- She was a princess, gallerist, patron, and painter.
- Her biography 'Topazia Alliata. Una Galleria d’arte con vista sul mondo' was written by her daughter Toni Maraini and published in 2022 by De Luca Editori d’Arte.
- She studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti and painted works like 'Arsura', 'Donna alla fonte' (1931), and 'Paesaggio con ulivi' (1931).
- Renato Guttuso dedicated 'Donna Ammantata. Ritratto di Topazia' (1931) to her.
- She married anthropologist Fosco Maraini in 1935 and moved to Japan; the family was interned after September 8, 1943.
- She opened Galleria Topazia Alliata in Rome in 1959, showing Andrea Cascella, Piero Manzoni, and others.
- The gallery closed in 1964 after 60 exhibitions; she later worked at Libreria Feltrinelli and Libreria Guida.
- She collaborated with Galleria Sprovieri on 'Balla, The Futurist' (1987) shown in London, Oxford, and Edinburgh.
- A retrospective 'Topazia Alliata, una vita per l’arte' was held at Palazzo Sant’Elia in Palermo in 2016.
Entities
Artists
- Topazia Alliata
- Renato Guttuso
- Nino Franchina
- Carlo Levi
- Danilo Dolci
- Corrado Cagli
- Mirko Basaldella
- Afro Basaldella
- Emilio Villa
- Ettore Colla
- Mimmo Rotella
- Fosco Maraini
- Dacia Maraini
- Yuki Maraini
- Toni Maraini
- Andrea Cascella
- Piero Manzoni
- Carlo Lorenzetti
- Fabio Mauri
- Nuvolo
- Mario Samonà
- Lucio Pozzi
- Mohamed Melehi
- Paul Thek
- Carla Accardi
- Jannis Kounellis
- Mario Schifano
- Renato Mambor
- Pino Pascali
- Achille Bonito Oliva
- Maurizio Fagiolo
- Anna Maria Ruta
- Fosca Miceli
- Ludovico Pratesi
Institutions
- Accademia di Belle Arti
- Galleria Topazia Alliata
- Libreria Feltrinelli
- Libreria Guida
- Galleria Sprovieri
- De Luca Editori d’Arte
- Palazzo Sant’Elia
- Villa Alliata
- Artribune
Locations
- Palermo
- Rome
- Italy
- Japan
- Bagheria
- Casteldaccia
- Sicily
- Trastevere
- piazza in Piscinula 13
- piazza San Callisto
- via del Babuino
- Naples
- London
- Oxford
- Edinburgh