Giacomo Balla’s ‘Total Art’ at the Mart in Rovereto

From his early Divisionist works to his original interpretation of Futurism, right through to his once again highly personal return to figurative art, the major exhibition *Giacomo Balla. The Style of the Avant-Garde. Works from the Biagiotti Cigna Collections brings together, in an exceptional display, some 240 works – including paintings, drawings, sculptures, furnishings, objects, clothing, photographs and documents – to convey, as fully as possible, the vision of ‘Total Art’ espoused by this brilliant Turin-born artist. From fashion to cinema, from the glamour of film divas to photography and advertising, via theosophy and psychic theories, nothing escaped his creative and pioneering flair, with results that would later be interpreted by Pop Art. For, always and in every respect – even in his adherence to Futurism – his vision was deeply personal, less concerned with reflecting on the group’s Cubist deconstructions and more focused on a concise definition of abstract dynamisms, including those of a psychological nature, extending even to states of mind and acoustic stimuli.

And it is hardly surprising that even the final results of his return to figurative art seem somewhat veiled, a sign of an unceasing quest that finally came to embody the collective imagination of the era, shaped by photography and a glamorous star culture that engaged not only the elite but, with keen intuition, was aimed at the masses.

The exhibition is curated by Fabio Benzi and Beatrice Avanzi. The works from the Laura Biagiotti Collection and the Biagiotti Cigna Foundation engage with a heritage that has always been dedicated to exploring the history of 20th-century Italy, with a particular focus on Futurism and the work of Fortunato Depero, whose legacy gave rise to the museum itself.

Laura Biagiotti’s insight made it possible to assemble the most substantial collection of works by Giacomo Balla, ranging from his Divisionist beginnings to his abstract works, from sketches to furnishings, including large canvases and drawings. Laura Biagiotti was also the first to recognise the value of the figurative works produced by Balla in the 1930s – which had, until then, been largely overlooked – recognising in Balla a consistent and constant focus on fashion and its role in mass culture and the languages of communication.

Whilst Balla, together with his friend Depero, theorised the famous Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe in 1915, Balla’s ‘Anti-Neutral Dress’ dates from the previous year. A veritable manifesto of Futurist fashion, the original manuscript was purchased by Laura Biagiotti and is now on display alongside the ‘Reconstruction’ poster, which forms part of the Mart’s collection. Both of these theoretical cornerstones mark the Futurist movement’s transition from a mere artistic trend to a genuine way of life, in pursuit of total art.