Day by Day: walking in the center of Rome, evoking Margherita Sarfatti
What a woman, Margherita Sarfatti. In Rome, a stone's throw from via del Babuino, the Russo Gallery offers masterpieces by Medardo Rosso, Umberto Boccioni, Mario Sironi, Adolfo Wildt, Gino Severini and Achille Funi, in the exhibition “Margherita Sarfatti and art in Italy between the two wars " . Most of the fifty works on display come from the legendary collection of Margherita Grassini Sarfatti, a sophisticated “Italian Peggy Guggenheim”, but also a person with power, capable of surpassing the role of any man in Italy in the 1920s. Who was Sarfatti? Everyone says she was "the other woman of Benito Mussolini", but the exhibition will produce "the effect of overturning the point of view on the question", as the organizers of the exhibition affirm, "intellectually much more stimulating assuming that it is not she, the brilliant Margherita, was his other woman, but he was her other man, indeed, one of her men, the great pigmaliona, the talent scout with an infallible nose, the first European woman art critic militant". Sarfatti said: "I am new, I am born every morning, what I did yesterday is not the decisive reason for what I will do tomorrow". In the portrait she traces of herself, that tension towards the new emerges which is the salient feature of her action. "In the international context of the women of the twentieth century who with their personalities contributed to building the modern world, Sarfatti stands out as a star of the first magnitude" writes of her Fabio Benzi, curator of the exhibition and one of the most accredited expert in Italian art of first half of the 20th century, and, in fact, the woman who had invented the myth of the Duce was placed at the antipodes of the model of angel of the hearth recommended to the female population by the regime's propaganda. The aspiration to modernity of this progressive and authentic feminist is clearly revealed by her choices as a compulsive and passionate art collector, so that Fabrizio Russo, organizer of the exhibition and linked to the Sarfatti family by an ancient relationship and friendship, telling Margherita through the masterpieces of her legendary collection seemed the most logical choice.
On display there is not only the Ecce Puer, a throbbing wax signed by Medardo Rosso in 1906 which finds its counterpart in the unattainable elegance of Wildt's marbles and bronzes (among them The Virgin of 1924, a work loved by Margherita) , not only the syncopated Futurist Ballerina by Mario Sironi (1916) or the Periphery of 1909 by a rare and cult author like Umberto Boccioni, in this exhibition there is above all the critical attempt to think about a vast and fabulous collection unfortunately never cataloged and fully studied because its own creator began to disperse it to finance the escape from Italy in 1938, when the institution of racial laws forced it to definitively deal with the failure of a political project in which it had believed a lot. In the project edited by Benzi with the intervention of Corrado Augias as author of the preface in the catalog and Rachele Ferrario, author of a substantial critical essay, absences count as much as presences. Arturo Martini is missing, the greatest Italian sculptor of the 20th century, discovered and initially favored by Margherita and then the object of hostility when he escapes his influence by joining the Roman group of Plastic Values. A woman of power, as well as a collector, her purchasing choices are sometimes suggested by reasons of political expediency. The section of the exhibition dedicated to the acquisitions of Roman artists such as Francesco Trombadori, Virgilio Guidi, Quirino Ruggeri, Gisberto Ceracchini and Pasquarosa signals the effort to mend the rift with the environment dominated by his rival, Cipriano Efisio Oppo, final winner of the bitter match for leadership in artistic politics.
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After an exhibition in the center, there is nothing better than a "secret restaurant", reserved, among the ancient buildings of Rome, but far from the clamor of the metropolis. A traditional cuisine of great simplicity, freshness, quality, in a place designed to be shared. Enveloping art in all spaces, to give guests not only food but also culture. All this is the "Donna E" bistro: born on the terraces and lounges of the Elizabeth Unique Hotel Rome , it is an oasis of refined informal elegance, full of charm and warmth. In via delle Colonnette, the Elizabeth Unique Hotel in Rome is a residence where ancient stories intertwine with those of today. Within the walls of Palazzo Pulieri Ginetti, in the heart of the city and a few steps from Piazza di Spagna, travel is celebrated as an unprecedented and multifaceted experience, “unique” by vocation. A journey that continues in her Secret Restaurant Donna E , with its traditional Italian cuisine, revisited in a fresh and harmonious way.
Here, in a continuous play of superimpositions, the details of the building coexist with the works of contemporary artists, in a selection of works curated by Fabrizio Russo, owner of the homonymous gallery. Donna E wants to welcome every guest as if they were at home. The name of the bistro, Donna E , is once again inspired by hospitality declined to women, that unmistakable and typical of the south and which pays homage to Donna Elisabetta, an unforgettable figure of the Curatella family. A journey through Italy in search of excellence, from north to south, discovering farms and products of great value. A research aimed at visionary farmers and enlightened breeders, respectful of ancient rituals, the environment and animals, custodians and witnesses of the highest quality of the cuisine. Thanks to this careful selection, at Donna E you can taste the chickens of the Pizzi farm in Rome, where the animals grow in the farmyard feeding naturally and the Caciocavallo Podolico Lucano, a Slow Food presidium produced from the milk of the Podolic cows that graze on the Southern Apennines. And again, Poeta honey, the delicacies of Dol (Denominazione Origine Laziale), the organic flours of the Mulino Marino di Cossano Belbo, in the province of Cuneo, to get to the Tuscan meats of Chianina and Cinta Senese. A cuisine that combines local and foreign recipes, to compose a multifaceted and transversal menu, which pays homage to Italian tradition by enriching it with unexpected contrasts and contemporary inspirations.
The chef of Donna E is Riccardo Pepe, a native of Basilicata, who arrived in Rome for love, hotel studies and, to follow, many experiences in large brigades throughout Italy. The great love for his land and the strong link with his origins have left an important mark on his dishes. Starting from the recipes of the female figures of his family, he managed to find the right balance between ancient and modern, between roots and innovation. Donna E's cuisine is classic, Italian with international influences. The dishes are taken from tradition, without major changes, but with touches that enrich them and make them typical of the bistro. A small kitchen where we try to make as much as possible "by hand", from bread to pasta, from biscuits to classic desserts. Everything that is not made at home is bought by companies and producers who have the utmost respect for the environment and what they produce. Food is not treated too much but left in its naturalness to preserve every principle.
The dining room is entrusted to Giovanni Olivieri, a restaurant manager who is behind the management of large hotel chains such as the Marriott . Giovanni tried to perfect the work group so that the whole team was able to make the customer experience a unique moment. The novelty is the exclusive Library room , adjacent to the restaurant, an intimate and silent place lit by a high French window overlooking Via del Corso, ideal for couples who wish to organize a private dinner or also available for small events of maximum 10 people. The wine list is the work of Luca Maroni, a well-known sensory analyst, who has studied a selection of refined labels, also awarded in his "Yearbook of the best Italian wines" , an edition that for two years has been previewed in Rome right at the Elizabeth Unique Hotel . The exclusivity that characterizes the hotel and the Donna E is enhanced by the intimate and discreet atmosphere of the secluded residence in the historic center of Rome, a few steps from the main entrance. The architectural project reflects the choices that Studio Marincola has made in the hotel, enriching the precious building with contemporary details and original furnishings. The Mansion consists of six rooms, capable of accommodating a maximum of sixteen guests. The common areas and rooms of the Elizabeth Unique Hotel are enriched with artistic content: the protagonists of the collection are some Italian artists, including Enrico Benetta, who "writes" sculptures in which letters receive a new narrative approach, Veronica Montanino, with the his labyrinthine and hypnotic painting and Manuel Felisi, who signs macro collages in which the gaze takes possession of a Nordic imaginary, inhabited by skies and forests. The artist Michael Gambino decorates the walls with evanescent and graceful works, which seem to sculpt the harmonic flow of organic matter. Luca Di Luzio exhibits elements of the Atlas Ego Imago Mundi project , in which the parts of one's body are represented through an atlas of imaginary islands. Finally, Giorgio Tentolini creates canvas-sculptures by weaving metal textures, such as the portrait of Bacharach.
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This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Atlantico Quotidiano at the URL http://www.atlanticoquotidiano.it/rubriche/day-by-day-passeggiare-nel-centro-di-roma-evocando-margherita-sarfatti/ on Wed, 14 Oct 2020 03:41:00 +0000.