Transcontinental encounters with Morandi
I kept seeing Morandi paintings within big museum collections and house museums across Europe. At the beginning of the trip I saw his work in an exhibition in London, mentioned in a previous post. His work then seemed to follow me from city to city, even appearing as props in films I watched. Needless to say that I became quite acquainted with his airy, dreamy bottles.
The images below are highlights from Centre Pompidou, Ca'Pesaro in Venice and Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan. Villa Necchi was used in Luca Guadagnino's 2009 film Io sono l'amore (I am Love). In that film, it was the residence of a modern day haute-bourgeois Milanese family, used to reflect their modern and cultured taste and accentuate their attachment to objects. After visiting the Villa, I rewatched the film in my hotel room and took note of a scene where a Morandi still life is passed on within the family as an engagement gift.
In a library I came across a book from a 2016 exhibition by Edmund de Waal of ceramics set within intricate display interventions that draw on the lightness of Morandi's atmosphere. Exquisite.
And then back in Melbourne, I saw Elio Petri's 1961 film L'assassino (The Assassin) at the Cinémathéque and noticed a Morandi in the background of a scene. I smiled to myself as it felt like an old companion had appeared on the giant screen in front of me... a reminder of all those discoveries and emotions felt while away.
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| Estorick Collection, London |
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| Ca'Pesaro, Venice |
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| Villa Necchi Campiglio, Milan |
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| A page from that Edmund de Waal book |
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| Io sono l'amore |
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| L'assassino |
