From 4 to 8 September, 15 venues in the towns of Camagna, Vignale, Montemagno and Castagnole host Panorama Monferrato. The event is the fourth edition of the region-wide exhibition conceived by ITALICS, an institutional network bringing together over 70 galleries of ancient, modern and contemporary art. Since 2021, this annual event has been strengthening the bonds between architecture, art, landscape and local areas and their communities. In the wake of the experiences of Procida (2021), Monopoli (2022) and L’Aquila (2023), ITALICS is taking the exhibition to Monferrato, a very different context from those of the previous editions, where the hills, land, and rural traditions form a unique heritage.

Curated by Carlo Falciani, the exhibition itinerary of Panorama Monferrato extends across the four towns, creating an active, ongoing dialogue with the local area, its institutions and its inhabitants. The venues span from the Ex Cottolengo (a former charitable institution) to the Palazzo Comunale in Camagna, the Palazzo Callori to the Chiesa dei Battuti in Vignale, the Castle to the Voltoni Scalea Barocca in Montemagno, and the Chiesa dell’Annunziata, via the Casa della Maestra, to the Ex Asilo Regina Elena in Castagnole. All these stunning locations are getting prepared to welcome a new and unique narrative built up by the contributions of 62 ITALICS galleries and 63 artists, ranging from masters of the past to some of the great contemporary figures who are shaping the history of Italian and international art. A kaleidoscope of works of art, including paintings, sculptures, installations and video art, which offer a cross-section of art history from the second century to the present day.

Panorama Monferrato is a journey to be taken slowly, a metaphor for the path of meditation. Inspired by the principles of La civil conversazione by Stefano Guazzo (born in Casale Monferrato in 1530), the exhibition is divided into chapters that create a single narrative, exploring, in each town, themes that span the ages. The contemporary visitor embarks on an experience, starting with everyday conflicts and gradually reaching a level of spirituality – also secular – fostered by art. The theme Lavoro e radici [Labor and Roots] is developed in Camagna, Ritratto e identità [Portrait and Identity] in Vignale, Caducità e morte [Transience and Death] in Montemagno and Sacralità dell’arte, anche laica [Sacredness of Art, including Secular Art] in Castagnole.

As in the previous editions, Panorama is also setting up various projects and special collaborations with the region’s cultural institutions to establish connections with the social and cultural fabric of the territory and to generate a virtuous circle that extends beyond the five days of the event. The Public Program of Panorama Monferrato will start at different times of the day in each town of the itinerary, stimulating visitors’ engagement and participation.

From Wednesday and for the whole duration of the event, the public can take part in a visual journey exploring the identity of Monferrato at the Teatro Comunale Fiorenzo Rizzone in Castagnole. Non-stop screenings of films, shorts and documentaries from 1950 to the present day will shed light on stories and the culture of the territory. From Thursday to Sunday, the day will begin at the Pro Loco in Camagna with the Colazione con l’Artista [Breakfast with the Artist]. Moderated by the curators of Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, it offers the public and the artists an opportunity to share ideas and reflections. In the afternoon, talks and workshops planned in collaboration with the Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Fondazione Accorsi – Ometto, Fondazione Merz, GAM – Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Torino, MAO – Museo d’Arte Orientale and OGR Torino will be held in the garden of the Montemagno Castle. At sunset, on the lawn of the garden of Palazzo Callori in Vignale, a merenda sinoira [a Piedmontese gastronomic tradition that consists of a long afternoon meal that can replace dinner] will be an opportunity to nourish body and soul by experiencing a rural Piedmontese tradition of farmers who, having returned from the fields at the end of the workday, would gather to enjoy some food and conviviality together. On Friday and Saturday, the evening will continue with live music and sound performances combining electronic music, the trumpet and cello.

Among the special initiatives, the fourth edition also sees the return of Italics d’Oro, a recognition that each year honors the strong connection between an artist and his or her native town or city. This year the award goes to Paolo Icaro, born in Turin in 1936, a key figure on the art scene during the 1960s.

Under the patronage of UNESCO, the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Piedmont Region, Panorama Monferrato confirms its standing as a unique exhibition experience, an expression of the values of ITALICS. It brings together multiple styles, techniques and thoughts through itineraries that form part of an extraordinary journey that began in 2020 on the webpages of the Italics.art platform.

Panorama is a cultural and artistic project conceived and promoted by ITALICS with an eye to collaborating with the territories involved. It embodies a commitment to gradually expanding into a program and a network of alliances that reaffirm the central role of art galleries in an ever-evolving cultural, local and global system.

For the third year in a row, Belmond confirms its support for ITALICS’ activities as Main Partner, consolidating the strong attention and care it has always shown for the cultural heritage and history of the places where it operates. As a pioneer of slow travel, Belmond has indeed developed a long and successful tradition of excellence in the field of hospitality, creating genuine travel experiences where the journey leading to a place is as important as the destination itself. The partnership with ITALICS thus continues to deepen Belmond’s aim of promoting Italy and its territory, with particular attention to destinations such as Monferrato and placing significant emphasis on the promotion and preservation of lesser-known but not less valuable landscapes and natural resources for the future. By focusing on local art and culture together with ITALICS, Belmond is inviting the public to discover and experience the beauty scattered across the country from a more current and authentic point of view, striving to highlight its past to create a new legacy.

VENUES

Camagna) Loggiato del Palazzo Comunale, Ex Cottolengo, Via dei Martiri 58–60, Pro Loco di Camagna Monferrato; (Vignale) Palazzo Callori, Teatro di Palazzo Callori, Chiesa dei Battuti, Giardino di Palazzo Callori; (Montemagno) Castello di Montemagno, Voltoni Scalea Barocca, Giardino del Castello di Montemagno; (Castagnole) Chiesa dell’Annunziata, Casa della Maestra, Ex Asilo Regina Elena, Teatro Comunale Fiorenzo Rizzone. 

ARTISTS

Vincenzo Agnetti (Milan 1926–1981), Carlo Amalfi (Piano di Sorrento, 1707 – Naples 1787), Armando Andrade Tudela (Lima, 1975), Anonymous masters of arms from the 18th-19th centuries, Salvatore Astore (S. Pancrazio Salentino, 1957), Atelier dell’Errore (Reggio Emilia, 2002), Marco Bagnoli (Empoli, 1949), Romina Bassu (Rome, 1982), Gianpietro Carlesso (Bolzano, 1961), Cabinet Maker of the 19th century, Mirabello Cavalori (Florence, 1535–1572),  Giuseppe Cesari known as il Cavalier d’Arpino (Arpino, 1568 – Rome, 1640), Edson Chagas (Luanda, 1977), Claire Fontaine (Paris, 2004), Betty Danon (Istanbul, 1927 – Milan, 2002), Elisabetta Di Maggio (Milan, 1964), Binta Diaw (Milan, 1995), Latifa Echakhch (El Khnansa, 1974), Sara Enrico (Biella, 1979), Theaster Gates (Chicago, 1973), Invernomuto (Milan, 2003), Francesco Jodice (Naples, 1967),  Francesco Jodice (New York, 1927), Esther Kläs (Mainz, 1981), Master of the Gualino Saint Catherine (14th century), Damien Meade (Limerick, 1969), Richard Meitner (Philadelphia, 1949), Fausto Melotti (Rovereto, 1901 – Milan, 1986), Lala Meredith-Vula (Sarajevo, 1966), Marzia Migliora (Alessandria, 1972), Giorgio Morandi (Bologna, 1890–1964), Margherita Moscardini (Donoratico, 1981), Maria Nepomuceno (Rio de Janeiro, 1976), Maria Elisabetta Novello (Vicenza, 1974), Painter of the 19th century, Claudio Parmiggiani (Luzzara, 1943), Gianni Pellegrini (Riva del Garda, 1953), Diego Perrone (Asti, 1970), Susana Pilar (Havana, 1984), Alfredo Pirri (Cosenza, 1957), Gio’ Pomodoro (Ociano di Pesaro, 1930 – Milan, 2002), Tal R (Tel Aviv, 1967), Giuseppe Recco (Naples, 1634 – Alicante, 1695), Moira Ricci (Orbetello, 1977), Ottone Rosai (Florence, 1895 – Ivrea, 1957), Arcangelo Sassolino (Vicenza, 1967), Pierluigi Scandiuzzi (Padua, 1993), Salvatore Scarpitta (New York, 1919–2007), Markus Schinwald (Salzburg, 1973), Ariel Schlesinger (Jerusalem, 1980), Jana Schröder (Brilon, 1983),  Sculptor of the 2nd century CE, Shimabuku (Kobe, 1969), Guido Trentini (Verona, 1889–1975), Patrick Tuttofuoco (Milan, 1974), Giuseppe Uncini (Fabriano, 1929 – Trevi, 2008), Michel Verjux (Chalon-sur-Saône, 1956), Pieter Vermeersch (Kortrijk, 1973), Francesco Vezzoli (Brescia, 1971), Franco Vimercati (Milan, 1940–2001), Marianne Vitale (East Rockaway, 1973), Luca Vitone (Genoa, 1964), Akram Zaatari (Sidon District, 1966).

GALLERIES

A arte Invernizzi, Galerie Rolando Anselmi, Apalazzogallery, Alfonso Artiaco, Bacarelli, Bottegantica, Botticelli Antichità, Galleria Canesso, CAR Gallery, Cardi Gallery, Carlo Orsi, Alessandro Cesati, Galleria Continua, Galleria Raffaella Cortese, Thomas Dane Gallery, Monica De Cardenas, Dep Art Gallery, Galleria Tiziana Di Caro, Alessandra Di Castro, Galleria Umberto Di Marino, Galleria Doris Ghetta, Galleria d’Arte Frediano Farsetti, Federica Schiavo Gallery, Galleria Fumagalli, Gagosian, Galleria dello Scudo, Giacometti Old Master Paintings, Gian Marco Casini Gallery, kaufmann repetto, Laveronica Arte Contemporanea, Galleria Lia Rumma, Lunetta11, Gió Marconi, MASSIMODECARLO, Mazzoleni, London-Torino, Francesca Minini, Galleria Massimo Minini, ML Fine Art, Maurizio Nobile Fine Art, Galleria Franco Noero, Osart Gallery, P420, Walter Padovani, Giorgio Persano, Pinksummer, Prometeo Gallery Ida Pisani, Richard Saltoun Gallery, SECCI, Simóndi, SpazioA, Studio SALES di Norberto Ruggeri, Studio Gariboldi, Studio Trisorio, T293, Tim Van Laere Gallery, Caterina Tognon Arte Contemporanea, Tornabuoni Arte, Tucci Russo Studio per l’Arte Contemporanea, Victoria Miro Venice, Galleria Carlo Virgilio & C., Vistamare, ZERO…