De Chirico and the Theatre

Giorgio de Chirico, who developed the metaphysical art movement, is considered one of the most significant innovators of 20th-century painting. Although he himself did not profess to be a Surrealist, his work contributed greatly to the birth of Surrealism. 

De Chirico was born in 1888 to an Italian family in Greece. He studied in Athens, Florence and Germany, where he became acquainted with the ideas of well-known German philosophers such as Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. They had a significant impact on the development of his art. 

De Chirico was a prolific writer who dealt extensively with the nature of art and culture in his texts. Opera, theatre and ballet were close to his heart throughout his life. During his career, he designed sets and costumes for dozens of performances.

De Chirico lived and worked for the last thirty years in Rome. He returned to the themes of his youth and bequeathed these works of neo-metaphysics and neo-baroque to the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation. From the Foundation’s collections, the exhibition includes a large number of these paintings from the artist’s late production. 

The intense themes of the works show the impact of the performing arts on the artist’s perception of space. The quotes on the walls of the halls shed light on de Chirico’s way of thinking and his relationship with Rome. The audience has also the opportunity to see drawings made by the artist in his own box at the Rome Opera, which have not previously been presented to the public.

De Chirico and the Theatre presents extensively the artist’s set and costume designs for opera and ballet performances, as well as completed costumes and sets that have been repainted at the Rome Opera using old working methods and materials. 

The costumes for the exhibition De Chirico and the Theatre are related to two operas: Bellini’s Puritans and Rossini’s Otello, as well as Vittorio Rieti’s ballet Le Bal. The Rome Opera has created the large set paintings on display using traditional techniques and materials for the Serlachius exhibition. 

Costumes designed by the artist for Rossini’s Otello have been restored for the exhibition. The costumes and costume sketches showcase the traditional craftsmanship that the Rome Opera, as one of the few opera houses in Europe, still maintains and teaches to future professionals.