National and International Modernism in Italian Sculpture from 1935-1959
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National and International Modernism in Italian Sculpture from 1935-1959 by Antje K. Gamble A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (History of Art) in the University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Professor Alexander D. Potts, Chair Associate Professor Giorgio Bertellini Professor Matthew N. Biro Sharon Hecker Associate Professor Claire A. Zimmerman Associate Professor Rebecca Zurier Copyright: Antje K. Gamble, 2015 © Acknowledgements As with any large project, this dissertation could not have been completed without the support and guidance of a large number of individuals and institutions. I am glad that I have the opportunity to acknowledge them here. There were a large number of funding sources that allowed me to study, travel, and conduct primary research that I want to thank: without them, I would not have been able to do the rich archival study that has, I think, made this dissertation an important contribution to the field. For travel funding to Italy, I thank the Horace R. Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan for its support with the Rackham International International Research Award and the Rackham Rackham Humanities Research Fellowship. For writing support and U.S.-based research funding, I thank the Department of History of Art at the University of Michigan, the Rackham Graduate School, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the University of Michigan Museum of Art. For conference travel support, I thank the Horace R. Rackham Graduate School, the Department of History of Art, and the American Association of Italian Studies. While in Italy, I was fortunate enough to work with a great number of amazing scholars, archivists, librarians and museum staff who aided in my research efforts. In Milan, I thank the librarians and staff at the Biblioteca del Progetto at the Triennale di Milano, where I spent many hours looking through issues of Domus and writing my third chapter. I would also like to thank two young Italian scholars for talking with me about my project: Kevin McManus and Chiara "ii Fabi. My gratitude also goes to the Fondazione Lucio Fontana and the Galleria Christian Stein for filling in some of the missing pieces on the work of Fausto Melotti. I must also thank Melotti’s daughter, Marta Melotti for her correspondence with me during her work to create the new Fondazione Fausto Melotti, even though I was ultimately unable to consult the archive. I cannot speak about my time in Milan without thanking Sharon Hecker, who became a member of my dissertation committee. Sharon’s scholastic and moral support has really been invaluable. I often looked to Sharon for both guidance and reassurance during the course of my research in Italy. She has been a most thoughtful mentor, helping me navigate the ins and outs of Italian archives. Without Sharon’s guidance, this dissertation would have taken a very different shape. In Rovereto, I must thank the Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto and the MaRT archivist Federico Zanoner for his help with navigating the Archivio del 900. The resources in the Carlo Belli papers at MaRT shed important light on Melotti’s work and the circle of artists with whom he associated. I would also like to thank Elisabeth Badia Moreno and Giuseppe de Probizer, my hosts at the Relais Mozart B&B. They became great friends—and made sure I recovered when I caught a nasty case of the flu. In Florence, I thank the staff and librarians at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, where I spent many days reading exhibition catalogues and looking over newspapers on microfilm. Many thanks go to my friend and Italian tutor Silvia Sammicheli. Silvia is an exceptional educator and did much to improve my written and spoken Italian, and helped me with the most difficult translations. In addition, she has been a really amazing friend and an enthusiastic supporter. In Pistoia I had the real pleasure to conduct research at the Fondazione Marino Marini and I want to thank all the staff at the Fondazione for their support in completing my research, "iii especially Director Maria Teresa Tosi. I am also grateful for the support of Francesco Burchielli and Ambra Tuci in searching the Fondazione’s extensive library collection and archives. They were very patient as I combed through every letter Marino Marini and his wife Marina wrote and received. This reflected upon their active and enthusiastic support of young scholars— during my time there I was very impressed at the number of scholars they worked with and the broad range of educational programs they coordinated in the museum of the Fondazione. The material I consulted at the Fondazione Marino Marini greatly enriched my understanding of the sculptor, his work, and the broad network of artists, critics and collectors with which he associated. In the United States, I consulted a number of important collections that I would like to acknowledge here. Thanks to the archives at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where I gained a very rich understanding of the 1949 exhibition Italian Twentieth Century Art curated by Alfred H. Barr and James Thrall Soby; the Archives of American Art for sending me, via Interlibrary Loan, the microfilmed archives of Alfred H. Barr; the archives at the Brooklyn Museum, where Angie Park, Archivist and Manager of Special Library Collections helped me find more information on the 1950-53 exhibition Italy at Work: her renaissance in design today; and the Library of Congress, where I found some of the only documents from my extensive search to ascertain information on the Compangia Nazionale Artigiana. I would also like to thank Glasser and Rosenthal Archivist Bart H. Ryckbosch at the Art Institute of Chicago for his aid navigating the huge amount of materials on the Italy at Work exhibition. AIC was the first archive I consulted and Bart was very patient and helpful as I looked through their extensive holdings. There are a number of departments and individuals at the University of Michigan that I would like to thank, including Dario Gaggio in history for helping me with finding references to "iv the Compangia Nazionale Artigiana; the librarians and staff at the Fine Arts Library for all their assistance over the years, in particular head librarian Deirdre Spencer; and writing workshop leader Louis Cicciarelli at the Sweetland Writing Center who read through numerous versions of chapters and conference papers guiding me in the process of improving my writing. I also want to thank my fellow graduate students who participated in the Sweetland Dissertation Writing groups, in particular Francesca Minonne, Sebastian Mohr, and Cheng Wang for reading through my chapter drafts and commiserating over the quirks of English grammar. I wish to wholeheartedly thank the University of Michigan, Department of History of Art for supporting my research over these six years. The faculty in this department have been an invaluable resource in guiding me through the process of completing my dissertation. In particular, and in addition to my wonderful dissertation committee, I want to thank Celeste Brusati, Marty Powers, Elaine Gazda, and Betsy Sears for their valuable insights. In addition, I would like to thank the department support staff who have made this project logistically possible: Jeff Craft who helped find funding to get to important conferences, Luciana Borbely who helped me file the right paperwork to get my Italian visas and then commiserated with me over Italian idiosyncrasies, Christy Elkins who was my go-to for any logistical issue, and Jeannie Worrall who made sure all the paperwork was submitted every step of the way. Here, I must also thank my Master’s Thesis committee from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for their work in enriching the earlier version of my dissertation project: Simon Anderson and my thesis advisor David J. Getsy. Thank you David for your thoughtful and patient guidance. David gave me my first foray into thinking critically about sculpture and he encouraged my interest in Marini from the very beginning and I am eternally grateful for this. I also must thank Jim Elkins who has continued to encourage me even after my time at SAIC. "v My dissertation committee has been a strong driving force in the progress of developing and completing my dissertation project. Even though, I know there are likely still typos and mistakes I have missed in this text, I have done my best to fulfill their expectations as well as put forth my own new scholastic contribution to the field. Each committee member has had a hand in my success in this immense undertaking. Thank you to Matthew Biro, Claire Zimmerman, and Rebecca Zurier for giving me thoughtful feedback throughout the process from classroom, through research and, in the end, with my writing. Though I have mentioned her already above, I want to again thank Sharon Hecker who came onto my dissertation committee as an outside member and has added so much to this dissertation. I would also like to thank Giorgio Bertellini who has always been an enthusiastic cognate member of my committee. He has added a real richness to my dissertation on issues at the heart of Italian Studies. My dissertation Advisor Alexander Potts has been an inspiring mentor throughout the process, really from my first visit to Michigan almost seven years ago. From the beginning Alex has offered an enthusiasm for my project, and the study of sculpture in general, that has truly opened my eyes. He has been there at every turn to help me shape this project into what it is today. From our many enlightening conversations to reading my numerous chapter drafts, Alex has been a thoughtful advisor and teacher.