Ritratti: Thirty-one Italian artists from Victoria provides a profile of each of the featured artists, along with a snapshot of their work, celebrating the presence and influence of Italian culture in Victoria.
The collection brings together a diverse group of artists over their shared connection to Italy and Victoria, home to the largest Italian community in Australia.
Launched two weeks ago by Mr Cerbo, the publication was compiled with the help of various sponsors and sheds light on the most talented painters, photographers and sculptors of Italian background from Melbourne and surrounds.
From internationally revered names such as Patricia Piccinini, to local artists who channel their creativity during their free time, Ritratti covers different generations, styles and mediums.
The artists were selected by a panel of experts, including professor and deputy director of the Victorian College of the Arts, Jon Cattapan, art critic and director of Black Art Projects, Andrea Candiani, and Paolo Baracchi from the Co.As.It. Museo Italiano.
The project explores the multimedia masterpieces of the Mangano sisters, Angela Cavalieri’s intricate prints, Filomena Coppola’s delicate pastels, Sarah Tomasetti’s luminous fresco paintings, the hyper-realistic portraits of Vincent Fantauzzo and Anna Minardo (who has a work displayed in the Vatican City’s collection), Marina Strocchi’s outback Australian scenes, and Domenico De Clario’s installations and performances, to name a few.
Ritratti offers a compelling insight into the Italo-Australian contemporary art scene, which could be extended beyond our community through an exhibition to offer the wider Victorian society a taste of the talent that these artists possess.
