Antonio Ligabue. The italian Expressionist

The exhibition, integrating the latest research, is the first major international retrospective exhibition dedicated to Antonio Ligabue. It presents a journey
through the art of LIGABUE, the visionary genius and his passionate research.

The exhibition project presents around 80 paintings, 20 sculptures and 20 drawings, with audiovisual and photographic content, and is organised with the Augusto Agosta Tota Foundation for Antonio Ligabue, which has been studying the artist for over 40 years and holds one of the largest collections dedicated to Ligabue. The exhibition is curated by the Foundation’s Secretary General Mario Alessandro Fiori.

The exhibition emphasises Ligabue’s great value in the sphere of Italian and European art and places him among the most significant exponents of that
Primitive and Expressionism art movement from the great European painters such as Van Gogh, Gauguin and Rousseau. A style characterised by vigorous brushstrokes and intense colours that manage to capture the observer, drawing him into a visceral and emotional world. Artists with whom Ligabue also shares the themes of his paintings, which often depict wild animals, rural landscapes and intense self-portraits.

Ligabue’s painting is characterised by his inner need to express himself, without any preconceptions or academic heritage. His pictorial dimension is primitive, without formalism of any kind. He can define it as a raw and powerful type of art, which reflected his tormented interiority.
Ligabue worked mainly with oils on canvas, creating works that elude passion and creative urgency. His unconventional technique and lack of academic formality contributed to making his work unique and unmistakable.