Welcome to CIMA’s blog! We look forward to sharing here some of the interesting behind-the-scenes activities, research, and experiences happening at the new Center for Italian Modern Art. CIMA’s fellows, staff, interns, and special guests will all be contributing posts.
This first season our program is focused on the Italian Futurist Fortunato Depero (1892-1960). Each academic year, CIMA’s art installation forms a platform or theme for our activities. CIMA offers an exceptional opportunity to our fellows and to the general public to study these works closely over a long period of time, something that generates new discoveries and lines of inquiry. This blog will offer highlights of those investigations and conversations. Some of the topics I am particularly intrigued by:
Depero’s “bolted book” of 1927 – one of the highlights of CIMA’s current installation, where you can see the book “unbolted” and displayed on the walls of the dining room.
The fantastical animals featured in some of Depero’s paintings – where did they come from?
Depero’s costume designs for the Ballet Russes – why did Diaghilev reject them? And what would it have been like to actually dance in one of these costumes?
To find out more, stay tuned! We’d love to hear more from you, our readers, and encourage you to leave your comments, write to us with ideas, and share this blog with your own networks.
