The northern city of Rovigo is returning to the roots of Art Deco, with an exhibition exploring the movement's development in Italy.
Most art historians trace the origins of Art Deco to the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Art in Paris in 1925 but a parallel movement was already taking shape in Italy.
A number of thinkers, designers and artists were producing fascinating new geometric work in Italy and Monza's International Expositions of Decorative Arts in 1923, 1925 and 1927 provided an important showcase for this developing style.
'Deco. Arte in Italia 1919-1939' (Deco: Art In Italy 1919-1939) explores this trend as it emerged in Italy. It further breaks with convention by focusing on a broader conception of art rather than limiting itself to architecture or interior decoration, the traditional darlings of the movement.
Divided into 11 sections, the show draws out numerous links with the world of art with specific sections on painting, drawings, glass and sculpture.
Among the Italian pioneers of this movement featured in the exhibit are Galileo Chini, Umberto Brunellechi and Duilio Cambellotti.
But the show also looks at Art Deco's ties to the Futurist movement, with works by Giacomo Balla, Fortunato Depero, Nicola Diulgheroff and Fillia.
Also featured are paintings by Mario Sironi, Achille Funi, Ubaldo Oppi, Gino Severini and Felice Casorati
In a statement released ahead of the show, its curators, Francesca Cagianelli and Dario Matteoni, explained their concept of the movement as follows:
''Art Deco, which came to the fore in the 1920s and 1930s, was characterized by numerous aspects,'' they said.
''It was inspired by the universe of the machine, by prismatic forms of metropolitan constructions and by classical models that were equally persuasive in terms of elegance.
''The term 'Art Deco' easily made the transition from the restricted world of specialists to the general public and swiftly acquired this label that evoked a whole fashion and style''.
The exhibition runs in Palazzo Roverella in Rovigo from January 31 until June 28.
