On the 24th of March, a new exhibition entitled "Lazzi, sberleffi e dipinti" (jokes, mockery and paintings) featuring paintings and art creations of the actor, playwright, director, comedian, songwriter and Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo opened in Milan at Palazzo Reale. More than 400 works of the multitalented artist will be on display at Palazzo Reale until the 3rd of June.
The exhibition aims to highlight the importance of painting and drawing in Fo’s life and includes large-scale oil paintings, acrylics, drawings, watercolours, sketches, collages and tapestries.
Born in Sangiano, Lombardy on the 24th of March 1926, Fo is internationally renowned for his dramatic works, which use the ancient Italian comedy method known as commedia dell’arte which include on-stage improvisation, also employed by Dario Fo.
His most famous play, Mistero Buffo (Funny Mystery), has been translated into 30 languages and performed worldwide. In 1997, he was presented with the Nobel Prize in Literature, honouring him as a writer “who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden”.
Alongside his paintings and drawings, the exhibition will also display theatrical objects including masks, puppets, costume sketches, set designs, posters and prints. Citing great masters such as Michelangelo, Leonardo, Mantegna and Caravaggio as inspiration, Fo explained: “From those great masters I’ve learned that every artist must always refer to the time in which he/she lives. If not, art becomes useless. For this reason,those who will see the exhibition will find what is happening today in this country in order to understand where we’re going, to try and change course, and save ourselves as much as we can”.
Some of Fo’s works on display in Milan deal with contemporary issues such as the earthquake in L’Aquila, the No TAV movement and the Arab Spring.
