Milan. Metaphysical springtime with the Macchiaioli, Mapplethorpe and Pierangelini

The atmosphere at Palazzo Reale is certainly bucolic as one turns admiring glances towards the works on display in the exhibition dedicated to the Macchiaioli: Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega and Telemaco Signorini succeeded in capturing within a brief yet intense season all the vividness and truthfulness of the landscape, predominantly Tuscan. Also very carnal is the retrospective dedicated to Robert Mapplethorpe, a courageous investigator of the physical and spiritual intimacies of the subjects catapulted in his photographic shots capable of sketching all the Forms of Desire, as this exhibition is entitled. Metafisica/Metaphysics, on the other hand, unites Palazzo Reale with the Museo del Novecento and Palazzo Citterio in the widespread complex of the great Brera as well as the Gallerie d'Italia. It is a project conceived by Vincenzo Trione, who relies on masterpieces by Giorgio de Chirico, Alberto Savinio, Carlo Carrà, Filippo de Pisis and Giorgio Morandi to dissect all the impulses of this movement that intertwined art, photography, architecture, cinema, theatre, design, fashion, literature, graphic novels and music. Aesthetically satisfying is certainly also the discovery of La Mary, a new French pastry shop inspired by the brioche of French Queen Marie Antoinette: there is no risk of being... guillotined as happened to the sovereign, but rather of being delighted by the proposal of the three creators (a photojournalist, an insurance agent and a pastry chef of Senegalese origin) who have joined forces to interpret in a lively and artistic way the art of sweets presented in the form of very charming mono-portions. The artistic experience continues when one crosses the threshold of the Carlton Hotel where one is greeted by the sweet and mischievous gaze of Medora portrayed by Erminia de Sanctis, a Roman painter who lived in the 19th century and who, after having often posed as a model for her brother Guglielmo, was able to make a name for herself. This is just one of the many works on display in the lobby and in the rooms, including lions attributed to Thomas Milne, a round table by Belgian designer Ado Chale with a cast bronze top, Chinese vases, carved cupboards and Mauro Grecale's material compositions. It is also an artistic act to sit at the tables of the Spiga restaurant where chef Fulvio Pierangelini personally cooks and explains the sources of inspiration and origin of the ossobuco ravioli, the stuffed cabbage surprise, the monkfish with green pepper and chicory, sublimating the goodness of the natural products provided by the land and sea and elevated by him to masterpieces of taste. Another very intriguing stay is the one set at Casa Brivio in a building that expresses all the characteristics of the Milanese 20th century exalted by architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni: each room is marked by minimalist tastes interpreted by the contemporary verve of Matteo Thun, who pays homage to the masters Ettore Sottsass and Gio Ponti with frankness and lindour: the freedom granted to guests of Casa Brivio in enjoying these spaces makes the artistic experience more immersive and fluid.