Colosseo

1973

This piece was painted by Renato Guttuso and donated to the Civic Art Gallery in 1975, on the occasion of the first edition of the “Rosa Papa Tamburi” Prize, which was ultimately awarded to the painting. The subject is a theme very dear to the Sicilian-born artist of Roman adoption: the Colosseum, which Guttuso repeatedly portrayed during the 1970s, according to the pictorial dictates of the school of Italian Neorealism. Set out in the contrasting colours of black and white, the painting portrays the central cavity of the famous Flavian amphitheatre, which was the centre stage of most of our history.

Technical info

Original title	Colosseo
Type	Opera d'arte contemporanea
Collection	Contemporary Art Gallery
Technique	Oil on canvas
Measurements	cm. 100x30
Placement	Palazzo Pianetti Civic Museums Floor: Second floor - Contemporary Art Gallery Exhibition area: The boudoir

The artwork in the museum

Collections

Contemporary Art Gallery

The Contemporary Art Gallery hosted on this floor mainly consists of works by artists active from the end of the 19th century to date. The paintings displayed in the first rooms bear witness to local painting in the early 19th century, when the pictorial culture was still closely linked to the artistic heritage from the late 19th century. Among the first painters that we see displayed are Luigi Amici and Leopoldo Battistini, respectively members of the Realist school of sculpture and painting. The antechamber displays works that were purchased by the Administration following the 1981 “Ruota del Lotto” contest that aimed at reinterpreting the paintings of the great 16th century painter Lorenzo Lotto according to contemporary canons. The artists who took part in the contest included Notargiacomo, Galliani, Pistoletto, Giandonato and Ontani, who presented works of their own inspired by the masterpieces of Lorenzo Lotti present in the Marche Region. Most of the collection consists of works purchased following the “Rosa Papa Tamburi” Prize, a biannual Contemporary Art award launched by the Jesi-born artist Orfeo Tamburi which, through the collaboration with great Italian artists from the second half of the 20th century, made the creation of this Gallery possible.