Italy, seen through some of its most significant places and through the eyes of an English artist of Italian immigrant descent. This is the focus of Italian Paintings, an exhibition by painter Arturo Di Stefano, which the Italian Cultural Institute in London has opened to coincide with Frieze, one of the world’s leading contemporary art events, taking place in the British capital this week.
The exhibition was inaugurated at Casa Italia by Sir Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, in the presence of Fabio Cassese, Ambassador of Italy to the United Kingdom. In his address, Sir Finaldi highlighted the importance of Italy, and Turin in particular, in shaping Di Stefano’s artistic development, made possible by a scholarship awarded to him by the Italian Cultural Institute.
“Di Stefano’s paintings possess a poetry born of this artist’s history, suspended between two cultures,” Sir Finaldi explained. “The painting Villa San Giovanni (2003) depicts the port from which Arturo’s father would have departed after the war, embarking on the long journey towards a new life in the north of England. Some subjects seem to have been chosen for the challenge they pose to the painter, such as the white plastic chairs in Open Air Cinema, Orvieto (2016–17).”
As Director Francesco Bongarrà emphasised, the exhibition offers “a journey that portrays our country with affection, presenting fresh and authentic images of Italy”.
“This exhibition,” Di Stefano remarked, “is my way of thanking Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in London for the decisive support I received at the beginning of my career.”
Credits: Alessandro Mariscalco
