Women are the protagonists of the exhibition 'Artiste. Florence: 1900-1950' on show from Sept. 22 to Nov. 18, 2018, at the Spazio Mostre of Fondazione CR Firenze. It is promoted and organised by Fondazione CR Firenze and Advancing Women Artists, in collaboration with the Gabinetto G. P. Vieusseux and the Cultural Association Il Palmerino and enjoys the patronage of the Consulate of the United States of America in Florence.
This programme forms part of the "The Heritage of Women Festival" promoted and organised by Fondazione CR Firenze and Elastica, under the artistic direction of Serena Dandini. It is dedicated to a series of events, with guests of national and international scope focused on the theme of women's empowerment and their contributions to human progress.
The exhibition, curated by Lucia Mannini and Chiara Toti, focuses on the figures of Leonetta Pieraccini and Fillide Giorgi, two artists who were united by deep friendship. The destiny of both were tied to two intellectuals with strong personalities, Emilio Cecchi and Arrigo Levasti. Fillide and Leonetta were both students of Giovanni Fattori at the beginning of the 20th century. They were interested in international artistic trends and proved to be painters of great quality. In the case of Leonetta, who moved to Rome without severing her ties with Florence, she painted portraits of top exponents of the culture and literature of the time. Fillide's career is represented by still lifes with international flair that mostly feature Florentine views. She had a very personal, almost naïf style, and her vivid images of the city, particularly focus on the Viale Milton area, where she had her studio.
This exhibition also features works by other contemporary women artists, including a sampling of those working in Florence during the first half of the 20th century. Paintings by Flavia Arlotta, Elisabeth Chaplin, Vittoria Morelli, Marisa Mori, Elena Salvaneschi, and Adriana Pincherle, and sculptures by Evelyn Scarampi document how these women approached their craft with great seriousness and professionalism, offering an opportunity to reflect on their role in society during the first half of the 20th century.
The exhibition consists of some forty works, some of which have never been exhibited to the public, on loan from private collectors as well as from museums and public institutions, including the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, Florence's Uffizi Gallery, the Palazzo Pitti and the Gabinetto Scientifico e Letterario G.P. Vieusseux. The exhibition is also accompanied by a series of other citywide events, including the lecture series entitled "Stories of Women Artists in Paint and on Page," organised by the Cultural Association Il Palmerino, and the exhibition 'An Artist with an Apostrophe. Among the Papers of Fillide Levasti', inspired by the archives of the Marucelliana Library.