De Chirico and the Theatre

De Chirico and the Theatre presents the artist’s work for the first time in Finland. At the same time, it is the first exhibition that extensively showcases the artist’s work in the field of performing arts.

Giorgio de Chirico (1888–1978) is known for the metaphysical art movement he developed in the 1910s. His paintings depict bizarre spaces and landscapes, where architectural elements and perspectives create a dreamlike atmosphere.

The exhibition features a large number of paintings from the artist’s late period, costume and set designs, as well as completed costumes and sets for various performances.

The exhibition has been produced in collaboration with the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation, the Rome Opera, the Florence Opera and the Cerratelli Foundation. The curators of the exhibition are Hannu Palosuo, Italo Nunziata, Cornelia Bujin and Lorenzo Canova.

De Chirico as an artist

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Artist’s late oeuvre

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Images from the exhibition

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"I am an artist who renews himself daily", de Chirico said and returned to metaphysic art during his late career. Photograph: Serlachius, Sampo Linkoneva

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Modern style costumes de Chiriso designed for an opera depicting 17th-century Britain. — Costumes and set designes created by De Chirico for Vincenzo Bellini's opera The Puritans caused a scandal in 1933. Photograph: Serlachius, Sampo Linkoneva

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"Now let us return to the backstage of art", de Chirico is know to have said. Late in his career, he returned to themes of Baroque style of his youth. Photograph: Serlachius, Sampo Linkoneva.

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Costumes and a set design De Chirico created for Rossini's Otello. Photograph: Serlachius, Sampo Linkoneva

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Giorgio de Chirico

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 recognise himself as 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. During his career, he designed sets and costumes for dozens of performances. For the first time, De Chirico on stage presents extensively the artist’s set and costume designs for opera and ballet performances, as well as finished costumes and sets that have been repainted at the Rome Opera using old working methods and materials.

From the collections of the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation, the exhibition includes a large number of paintings that represent the artist’s late production. After settling in Rome for good, the artist returned to the themes of the metaphysical and Baroque periods of his youth, making even more refined art.

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