Self-taught, thanks to an extraordinary vision and capacity for transfiguration, he reached that pictorial dimension of a tragic expressionist, profoundly human and imbued with a visceral sensitivity that earned him the conquest of his own identity and, after hard work and ostracisms, the recognitions from enthusiasts and art historians.
Through about 100 works, the exhibition offers a historical and critical excursus on the relevance of the work of Ligabue who today represents one of the most interesting figures of twentieth-century art.
Born in Zurich in 1889, after tormented and restless years of wandering, in 1919 he arrived in Gualtieri where in 1929 he met Renato Marino Mazzacurati (artist of the Roman School and versatile exponent of artistic currents such as cubism, expressionism and realism) who he understands genuine art and teaches him the use of oil paints, guiding him towards the full exploitation of his talent. With a singular expressionist impulse and with a purity of vision typical of the amazement of those who are discovering - as in childhood - the secrets of the world, Ligabue dedicates himself to the representation of the endless struggle, for survival, of forest animals; he portrays himself in hundreds of works capturing the torment and bitterness that marked him, also due to the hostility and incomprehension that surrounded him; only sometimes does he seem to find some serenity in the representation of work in the fields and of the animals that he loved so much and felt like brothers (in particular, dogs).
Among the oils exhibited Carriage with horses and Swiss landscape (1956-1957), Table with vase of flowers (1956) and Gorilla with woman (1957-1958), alongside bronze sculptures such as Siberian Wolf (1936).
Also on display is a section dedicated to graphic production with drawings and engravings such as Mammuth (1952-1962), Sulki (1952-1962) and Self-portrait with jockey cap (1962) and a section on his incredible human story.
Under the aegis of the Institute for the history of the Italian Risorgimento and with the patronage of the Lazio Region, Rome Capital and the Federico II Palermo Foundation, the Antonio Ligabue exhibition is promoted by the Antonio Ligabue Museum Foundation of Gualtieri and by the Municipality of Gualtieri, is by Sandro Parmiggiani, director of the same Foundation and by Sergio Negri, president of the scientific committee, with the general organization of Arthemisia Group and COR Create-organize-create. The event sees as sponsor Generali Italia, technical sponsor Trenitalia and media partner AD.
