Futurism at Fondazione Prada
“Post Zang Tumb Tuuum” is the name of the current exhibition at Fondazione Prada in Milan, and also the title of a poem by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the author of the futurist manifesto of 1909. This is a journey inside futurist art from 1918 to 1945.
Art had to represent the same speed, dynamism and energy of the politically tense period. Italy had just ended the first world war and was experiencing the dawn of fascism. This movement persisted until the end of the second world war. The typical futurist artist is dynamic, involved in politics, anti-clerical and anti-monarchic, and art often serves as a form of propaganda. Mussolini is a recurring figure, and so are various forms of propagandistic material such as books, posters, and newspapers.
This exhibition is extremely dense because it puts together all the most important pieces of the futurist movement. It cannot be defined as deep, though, because the artists are diverse, and visitors get only a glimpse of their style and thinking rather than a complete understanding of a particular one. On the other hand, it is a very academic exhibition because visitors are guided through futurism in a chronological order; this enables them to experience how art goes hand in hand with political changes and events. Many rooms show the reconstructions of the biennial or other event in which some of the paintings had been originally exposed. It is made possible thanks to some photographs of the time, which are reproduced as faithfully as possible. The paintings are hung besides the pictures or the paintings that instead are not there. The idea is to reconstruct the same circumstances behind each painting. Visitors are able to fully appreciate and understand each work if they see it in its original context. One of the reconstructions represents the last biennial Mario Sironi ever participated to. Afterwards, he focused on murals and public art, taking inspiration from famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera.
All rooms display diverse paintings, sculptures and photographs from the same years and the same theme. One hall in the last building, for instance, is dedicated to military aviation during fascism. In the same room visitors can admire also a wonderful painting by Giorgio De Chirico and one by Felice Casorati. Despite being rigorous in the chronological order of art pieces, a curious decision was that of displaying a huge and wonderful painting from Umberto Boccioni, even if he died during World War I, hence not experiencing the time period visitors come across during the exhibition. This painting, however, is the perfect representation of futurist ideas: dynamism of the body in space, vibrant colors, pure energy. Despite not having experienced it entirely, he was able to synthesize the true essence of this artistic movement in his work.
As previously mentioned, this exhibition is extremely vast. As a matter of fact, it includes also the drawing of ‘Casa del Fascio’ by the architect Giuseppe Terragni. His work, like many others, is the perfect example of rationalism, because everything is polished, perfect, and ‘rational’. The cinema hosts another remarkable part of the exhibition, where visitors can walk through huge walls displaying fascist propaganda from 1932. That year was important for futurist artists and political activists because it represented the 10-year anniversary of the March on Rome, the event that signed the following twenty years of fascism. Even if the great majority of art pieces in this exhibition is dedicated to fascist propaganda, in the last building there are works by artists and intellectuals who opposed to fascism and were imprisoned, such as the artists Carlo Levi and Aligi Sassu, and the philosopher Antonio Gramsci.
The very last room has two large tables covered by all sort of literature on futurism. Visitors should pay particular attention to the very last piece that has been reconstructed for the exhibition: the curtain covering the exit door and the entire wall. It represents the freedom exhibition organized in Genova in 1945 to raise funds for the reconstruction of Italy after the war. It is a peculiar yet smart way to conclude an exhibition that glorifies war. Italy was devastated by the war and had to stand up again and rebuild what had been previously destroyed. By displaying the freedom exhibition, Germano Celant, the foundation’s curator, wanted to be realistic because futurism actually ended with another terrible war, and with the wish to build something new. Moreover, Fondazione Prada tends to take a political stance in its exhibitions, and this was a way to detach from the glorified fascist past. The exhibition’s aim is to show Italy from a cultural and political point of view, and how politics was highly influential in terms of artistic production.
As previously said, this exhibition is highly theatrical because of the diverse media and art pieces displayed. Visitors see the evolution of an artistic movement together with Italy’s political situation by walking from one room to another. It is a very academic way to understand futurism, but at the end one has literally walked across 20 years of history and can see how it all ended. Some artists like Boccioni, De Chirico, Sironi and Morandi are established at international level, but many others might not be as well known. Visitors can get a glimpse of all artists and a strong general idea about futurism, but do not have the possibility of digging deep in a particular artist’s psyche and personal evolution. The several thematic areas covering almost all thinkers, artists and philosophers of the time show how political ideas were strongly radicalised in Italy.All in all, it is absolutely a must-see, because it collects many masterpieces that allow visitors to feel the tension and excitement of an era which is crucial for Italy’s history but also for the evolution of other artistic movements.
SOME PRACTICAL TIPS:
Fondazione Prada is 25 minutes away from Università Bocconi by foot
An alternative is to take Tram #24
Make sure to stop at Bar Luce for a break. It's decoration was inspired by the films of Wes Anderson and it feels like you enter one of his movies!
From April 20th, the 9-floor tower will be opened to the public