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Tribute to Franco Rognoni

June 6 thru May 23, 2004
Open on Thursday Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays  from 10.00  to 12.00 am, and from 03.00 to 07.00 pm.
Tickets: € 2.60   Cut-rate tickets:  € 1.60

Inauguration on Saturday, June 6  2004 - 5.00 pm

Press release

Rognoni’s artistic universe is inspired by the classic stories by Omero, by medieval stories, by the art of the sixteenth century and the seventeenth century’s baroque, by the Bible, but also by contemporary art. An extremely varied and wide range of civilizations is incorporated in Franco Rognoni’s art. Franco Rognoni is one of the most representative artists of the twentieth century in Lombardy, and the Parisi-Valle Museum in Maccagno has decided to display his works throughout summer 2004.

This is a high level exhibition that gives us an intimate view of this artist, whose career encompasses most of last century.
Rognoni was born in 1913 in Milan, and his home town chose to use an exhibition of his works for the inauguration of the renewed Rotonfa della Besana in 2003. Since the age of twenty the artist works as an illustrator for several important magazines and newspapers. Artists such as Sironi, De Pisis, and Modigliani have a deep influence on him, and his passion for books brings German expressionism’s techniques into his art both in terms of graphics and painting.
He moves to Luino during the war; there he develops a strong inner connection with the Lago Maggiore and focuses on his works: his artistic output grows to include a wealth of illustrations and etchings.
In 1953 Guido Ballo displays his works in Milan in an exhibition that draws the attention of many critics. Thanks to his eclectic spirit he also works as a scene designer for the theaters Piccola Scala di Milano and La Fenice in Venezia: both public and critics appreciate and enjoy his use of the visual spaces of the two theaters.
All his different facets flow into his paintings, a mixture of decoration, illustration, and graphics.
These cross-contaminations are reflected in the mixture of irony and drama that can be found in his works, with a sensitivity that could easily be defined “musical”. His friends, too, are mainly from the fields of literature and music: Riccardo Malipiero, the two venerable authors from Luino Vittorio Sereni and Piero Chiara, and Dante Isella from Varese.
His passion for the representation of the ancient world is so intense that he even paints such scenes on the walls of his house, on his furniture, on his doors... he wants to live inside his paintings.

This exhibit, organized by Daniela Martarelli, has been made possible by the good offices of Mrs. Mariuccia Noè (Rognoni’s widow) with the precious help of Francesco Del Sole, and it will allow us to discover that “intimate” side of the artist by making us get in contact directly with his world. In fact, the visitors will be able to see not only the paintings belonging to the family, but also everyday objects such as bottles, earthenware, tin boxes, books, musical instruments, etc., all of them turned into unique pieces of art by Rognoni’s talent.

Therefore, the public will be able to peer into the everyday life of one of the artists that have best explored the spirit of his contemporaries using plenty of colors and feelings, and painting as if he had been making some stimulating and exciting form of music.
The inauguration will be on Saturday, June 5, 2004 at 5.00 pm.