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Federica Galli
Outstanding Venice lagoon views etching in three part by Federica Galli

1984-1987

About the Item

Trabucchi (which is a triptych, consisting of three platemarks and three sheets) is an exceptional work in terms of its size, especially considering that it was printed in 1987 when paper and press technology was not as good as it is today. Even more surprising is Federica Galli's unpublished view of the Venetian lagoon. A subject already tackled by the greatest engravers of the grand tour, which the Lombard artist is able to propose with an innovative and no longer replicated look. It is also surprising for its technical virtuosity and absolutely unusual point of view. Federica Galli has conceived a possible pendant of this work; its ideal wall companion is the view of St Mark's, consisting of five plates and five sheets, which has the same size as the base (the height deliberately differs by a few centimetres). Federica Galli's work results from a major retrospective exhibition that the Milan City Council wished to dedicate ten years after her death and which closed at Palazzo Morando (in the heart of Milan's fashion district) in July 2021. On 15 July 2021, a ceremony was held to dedicate a new street to Federica Galli in Milan, which was strongly supported by the city council and the Foundation that safeguards the Lombard artist's archive and market. A leading exponent of the art of etching, Federica Galli poetically conveyed Italy's urban and rural architectural landscape and also wanted to bear witness to its beauty for posterity, with a far-sighted focus on the ecological issues so dear today. Federica Galli was convinced by David Landau ( Renaissance expert and curator of the exhibition "Mantegna" at the Metropolitan Museum) to etch a portfolio on Venice's views between 1984 and 1986. She carved 39 plates introducing a new eye to Venezia which have been shown for the first time at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, which changed its statute specifically for Federica Galli's exhibition so that it could host exhibitions of living artists and not just past ones, as it had been until then. Limited edition of 90. Among others, her artworks are conserved in the NMWA (National Museum of Women in Arts) in Washington, as well as in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Milan, the same museum where Leonardo's Codex is conserved. BIOGRAPHY A prominent figure of the art of engraving in Italy, Federica Galli was born in 1932 in Soresina – a village just outside Cremona. Straight after the war, in 1946, she convinced her parents to enrol her at the Artistic Lyceum in Milan and in 1950 she went on to attend the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera, from where she graduated four years later with a diploma in painting. She began engraving in 1954 - “Il paese dell’Alberta”- experimenting with etching, a technique she never abandoned for the rest of her life. In 1966 she married the journalist, Giovanni Raimondi – editor-in-chief of the Corriere della Sera – and began to embark on a densely packed programme of cultural trips that took her to the most important European capitals, and to countries where the art of engraving is less deeply rooted. This was also the year in which she matured the conviction that engraving was the technique in which she expressed herself most effectively and started to apply herself exclusively to this art form, producing over eight hundred different subjects. Starting from her early personal exhibitions – the first one took place in 1960 in Milan – she met with the favour of the public and critics alike. In the space of a few years, she could count on the support of some of the most authoritative critics of her time: Franco Russoli, Mario de Micheli, Giovanni Testori – who was to follow her closely until he died - Mina Gregori, Gian Alberto dell’Acqua, Roberto Tassi, Renzo Zorzi, Carlo Bo, Daniel Berger (Metropolitan Museum of New York), Gina Lagorio, Giuseppe and Francesco Frangi, Marco Fragonara, Giorgio Soavi and David Landau (Oxford University). She obtained the most prestigious institutional acknowledgements given to any contemporary artist: she was the first living artist to be invited to exhibit at the Fondazione Cini in Venice - 1987 with a collection dedicated to the lagoon city -; at the Civic Museum of Palazzo Te in Mantua - 1987 -; at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan - 1988 -; in the Imperial Archive of the Forbid-den City, Wag Fung gallery, - 1995 -. Collectors of her works include people of culture from Italy and elsewhere, individuals known for their cultivated passion for the graphic arts, comprising – just to mention some of the most famous: Dino Buzzati, Leonardo Sciascia, Francois Mitterand. An extensive and exhaustive testimony of her works may be viewed at the Ala Ponzone Civic Museum of Cremona, in the Bertarelli Collection of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, at the Villa Reale of Monza close to Milan. Between 1954 and 2008, Federica Galli engraved over eight hundred plates with a focus on three principal themes: landscapes, trees and cityscapes. Her landscapes are mainly those of the Lombardy plain, with poetic descriptions of its characteristic farmsteads: adding up to about fifty artworks. The urban views are those of Milan and Venice, cities that held a special meaning in the life of Federica Galli, who expressed her gratitude in the form of a vision that is perceptive and honest, but never banal. Her passion for nature, combined with a capacity to bring forth its most enchanting aspects, are revealed in over one hundred plates. Her notorious technical skills enabled her to surmount obstacles that are formidable for engravers, such as the representation of snow and nocturnal scenes, without ever succumbing to affected mannerisms. The artist has dedicated a collection of works to the most important Monumental Trees of our peninsular, with over sixty plants selected for their historical, naturalistic or aesthetic interest. An exceptionally beautiful collection. Federica Galli, who passed away on 6 February 2009, has entrusted her artistic legacy to a Foundation bearing her name, which was set up on 17 July 2009 in Milan.
  • Creator:
    Federica Galli (1932 - 2009, Italian)
  • Creation Year:
    1984-1987
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 27.96 in (71 cm)Width: 88.59 in (225 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Milan, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU431310182962
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