The "Hero, Garibaldi pop icon" exhibition, set up in the halls of the Risorgimento museum in Turin, has already been underway for several months and will be open until 8 January. 140 years after the death of the hero of two worlds, the exhibition aims to narrate the character Giuseppe Garibaldi, a myth that is still much studied, a true pop icon that also attracts the attention of the younger generations. The exhibition, curated by museum director Ferruccio Martinotti, showcases over 300 objects from all over the world.
There are ceramics, smoking articles, toys, sketchbooks and stickers, comic books, photo novels, records, advertisements, books and everyday objects. Also on display are the philatelic issues that celebrate his figure in many countries. And, again, among the smoking articles, the famous cigar that takes his name. There is also the hero who is very popular among the youngest, the protagonist of toy soldier battles and the covers of school exercise books.
Garibaldi pop icon
The exhibition aims to underline the global dimension of the hero, the traces he has left in the dozens of countries where he lived and fought. Director Martinotti, in this regard, expresses himself as follows. “Garibaldi is a totem, a gigantic figure on which thousands of books have been written, hundreds of exhibitions and films have been made. The challenge was to find a new key. I tried to dig into the popular, well-known impact, but I couldn't imagine it being of this size. The representations of Garibaldi are many: from toys to Uruguayan banknotes, from fine English ceramics to terracotta pipes to whiskey bottles. We then move on to an extraordinary collection of comics and photo novels and to a publication that sees him in 1948 as a political reference image. Without a doubt he is among the most recognized and appreciated figures in the celebrations of the 100 and 150 years of the'Unification of Italy”.
The interpretation is twofold: the historicization of the image of the hero and its use over time, with particular emphasis on three moments, the visit to London in 1864 which ratified his status as a living legend. Death, from which the cult is generated and finally the '900. “In London Garibaldi – says Martinotti – becomes a popular icon in life. He is greeted by massive displays of affection and becomes a hero, celebrated by the newspapers. It is here that his figure becomes an icon and is replicated on paintings and everyday objects. His face and deeds can be found on lids for teapots, plates, brooches, razors, piggy banks, vases, tablet holders. The production of the famous Staffordshire ceramic figurines dates back to these years, offering models of Garibaldi in various poses, decorated with enamel colours. Objects that even find a place on the fireplaces of English living rooms and then throughout Europe”.
(Images National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento in Turin)
Leave a comment (0)