A large exhibition dedicated to one of the best-known local painters in the world: Marino Collecchiawill be inaugurated Saturday 11 May at Palazzo Ducale in Massa. The exhibition arrives eight years after the death of the painter from Massa, known as the “master of light”. A multifaceted artist, Collecchia has left an indelible mark on the artistic panorama with iconic paintings depicting men with hats, exhibited in his atelier which is located along the Via Aurelia in Massa.
Marino Collecchia was born in Fivizzano in 1933; after studying in Carrara, he moved to Milan in the 1950s and collaborated with internationally renowned designers such as Charles and Ray Eames in the creation of projects for large companies, including Magneti Marelli. Returning to Tuscany in 1965, he opened a qualified modern furniture shop, without ever neglecting his passion for painting and soon opened his own atelier, choosing to dedicate himself to painting, ceramics and decoration full time. His works, the result of experiences and travels, reflect a deep connection with the Tuscan land, with its mountains, the sea and the marble quarries. Collecchia has exhibited many times both in Italy and abroad, receiving many awards: he was one of the most important artists of the Italian 20th century. His personal exhibition in Qatar was very successful. Among the many awards obtained there is also the Golden Brush. Dino Carlesi, Tommaso Paloscia and Vittorio Sgarbi wrote about him and, speaking of the subjects of Collecchia’s works, underlined that they fell within that epic tradition that goes “from Millet to Van Gogh to Pellizza from Vopedo to Guttuso”. “I think each of us has our Ithaca even when we don’t feel like Ulysses” Collecchia said and these words were taken up by the curator of the “Prima luce” exhibition, Luciana Bertaccini, who said: “There is a destination and a dreamed land to reach and experience, rediscovering it more fascinating and important every day. For Marino this goal was painting and this land was his beloved Tuscany”.
The “Prima Luce” exhibition in the spaces of the Palazzo Ducale represents the culmination of a process of recovery and care that highlighted Collecchia’s exceptional work. During the research, each trace revealed something new, sparking curiosity and new discoveries about the artist’s life path. Thanks to the study of the archive and the found writings, the works are contextualized and show a rich variety of techniques and elements that are always new in his favorite themes. For the first time, even connoisseurs and those who followed him closely have the opportunity to revisit a selection of his most significant styles and compositions.
During the research, each work revealed a trace, which added something new, pieces of a larger mosaic, to be understood, to be decoded, leading to a deeper understanding of the artist’s life path. The collection includes some of his most colorful and emotional works, offering a selection representative of his stylistic variety and classic subjects. The “Prima Luce” exhibition was born from the desire to share the intense visual experience proposed by the art of the Collecchia golden brush, in a range of works imbued with the contaminations and inspirations experienced in his life and training paths, which range from graphics to the design of the 60s/70s, to his travels, to the long period of his complete dedication to artistic life as his main activity and field of research. The critic Lodovico Gierut and Marilena Cheli Tomei will attend the inauguration, Saturday 11 May from 5pm: their task is to introduce the artist and the exhibition itinerary.
