Exhibition de Chirico. Giorgio de Chirico

The first Russian exhibition of Giorgio de Chirico, one of the main Italian surrealists, known for his metaphysical painting, opened at the Tretyakov Gallery. Buro 24/7 tells you what you need to know about the artist before visiting the exhibition.

Metaphysics and early creativity

The de Chirico family comes from Greece. After the death of his father, the future artist and his family moved to Munich, where he continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts. During his Munich years he was influenced by the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer and Otto Weininger. Their ideas form his worldview, which he himself calls “metaphysics” - one of the main branches of philosophy, which examines questions of primary existence. Metaphysical painting would not receive its name until 1917, when de Chirico met the artist Carlo Carra, whose search for a formal language was in many ways close to the master.

Self-portrait in a black sweater. Giorgio de Chirico. 1957

Nevertheless, all of de Chirico’s works of the 1910s can be classified as “metaphysics” - desert landscapes, where lonely characters appear against the backdrop of urban architecture with expressive shadows, or still lifes with classical busts, fruits and balls. As follows from the memoirs of the artist himself, his first metaphysical insight arose in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence. “It suddenly seemed to me as if I was seeing everything around me for the first time,” he later wrote in his memoirs. This episode formed the basis of the first metaphysical picture - “The Mystery of an Autumn Afternoon” (1910).

Another important factor of influence in de Chirico’s work is the work of the German symbolists, Max Klinger and Arnold Böcklin, with whom de Chirico himself is initially compared. The pictorial and philosophical influences of this time would appear only a few years later, during the artist's stay in Paris. Following Munich, de Chirico moved to Milan and Florence, and after the war he finally reached Paris, where in the 1910s the career of de Chirico and other masters of the era took place - Pablo Picasso, Amadeo Modigliani, Chaim Soutine, Constantin Brancusi and many others. Although de Chirico’s work is not directly related to them, Paris as an artistic environment played an important role in his development.

"Melancholy and the Mystery of the Street." Giorgio de Chirico. 1914

Another artist who influenced the formation of metaphysical painting was de Chirico’s younger brother, Alberto Savinio. Together with him, de Chirico published the magazine “Plastic Values”, and also published a number of theoretical works in which the fundamental principles of metaphysical painting were defined. Among them are transparency and irony, which later became the main characteristics of the poetic and dreamy paintings of metaphysicians.

The first part of the exhibition is devoted to the period of the 1910s and metaphysics as the main method of de Chirico. The works of the 1920s and 30s, in which the artist reinterprets antiquity and the Old Masters, represent a logical continuation of the first stage. Between them, the viewer finds himself in the world of Diaghilev’s ballets, in the creation of costumes for which de Chirico was directly involved.

Costumes for Diaghilev's ballets and a return to eternal themes

If at the beginning of his career, costumes and scenery for Diaghilev were created mainly by members of the “World of Art” group - Lev Bakst, Valentin Serov and Alexander Benois, then in Paris Andre Derain and Pablo Picasso are working on this. The latter also created the scenography for the ballet Pulcinella in 1920. In 1931, after the death of Diaghilev, this production returned to the stage in the scenery of de Chirico. In addition, the artist designed costumes for Diaghilev’s last project, “The Ball” (1929), as well as for “Proteus”, staged by the Russian Ballet of Monte Carlo at the Covent Garden Theatre.

"Song of Love". Giorgio de Chirico. 1914

The turn of the 1920s-30s in de Chirico’s work was marked not only by his work in the theater, but also by his interest in historical and mythical subjects. During these same years, he began working on the aforementioned magazine “Plastic Values,” which revived the ideals of classical painting on its pages. Historical subjects such as the Trojan War and the Battle of Thermopylae appear on de Chirico’s canvases, and fragments of aqueducts, columns and temples are combined into single figures of “Archaeologists”. These motifs serve as references to the profession of his wife Raisa Gurevich-Krat. In those same years, de Chirico often turned to the art of the Old Masters: among his paintings it is easy to recognize the prototypes of Watteau, Titian, Boucher, Fragonard, Canaletto and Rubens.

Separate sections of the exhibition are presented by the artist’s sculpture and graphics - terracotta figures in bronze and sketches of the same mannequins, as well as preparatory sketches for paintings. The cycle of one hundred works presented at the exhibition ends with the concept of “Neo-metaphysics” - this is the name given to the late period of creativity from 1968 to 1976. At this time, the artist created copies of existing works, reworking them in a new style, much more complex. A striking example of this is “The Inner Metaphysics of the Workshop,” where the artist’s seemingly familiar canvases are depicted inside a new painting.

« Internal metaphysics of the workshop». Giorgio de Chirico. 1969

De Chirico most significantly influenced the painting of the surrealists, whose association arose ten years after the appearance of metaphysical artists. Without the work of de Chirico, it is difficult to imagine the works of Salvador Dali or Rene Magritte, and Andre Breton himself was so fascinated by the painting “The Brain of a Child” that he got off the bus when he saw it in the window.

Although de Chirico is associated with Russia only through his work for Diaghilev’s ballets, curator Tatiana Goryacheva draws parallels between the Italian artist and Suprematist Malevich, and the dreamy Deineka, and the cubists Shevchenko and Rozhdestvensky. This can best be understood only by seeing it with your own eyes.

The Tretyakov Gallery presents the first large-scale exhibition of de Chirico in Russia - a joint project of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation (Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico). Giorgio de Chirico (1888−1978) - Italian painter, one of the greatest masters of the twentieth century, the forerunner of surrealism, the founder of the Metaphysical Painting movement. The exhibition takes place as part of the Open Arts Festival "Cherry Forest" with the support of Bosco di Ciliegi.

For the first time, four works by de Chirico were exhibited in Moscow in 1929, and his drawings and etchings were exhibited in the 1930s. The exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery reveals all facets of de Chirico’s work: classical “metaphysical” and post-metaphysical painting, the artist’s turn in the 1920s - 1930s to the interpretation of antiquity and mythological subjects, his interest in the painting of old masters, numerous self-portraits, as well as completely early paintings that testify to the passion for the art of the Swiss symbolist artist Arnold Böcklin (1827−1901).

Giorgio de Chirico. Orpheus is a tired troubadour. 1970

The works of this master, presented in a variety of ways at the exhibition, will give Russian viewers the opportunity to comprehend his influence not only on European artists, but also on Russians. First of all, on K. Malevich, who not only transformed some of the techniques and motifs of the Italian artist’s painting in his later works, but also strongly recommended the study of his work to his students. Such masters as A. Shevchenko, A. Deineka, K. Rozhdestvensky, V. Ermolaeva also experienced the influence of the Italian master.

The Fondation de Chirico, founded in 1986 and receiving a large body of his late works in the will of the artist’s widow, is located in Rome. The exhibition will feature works of painting, graphics, sculpture, as well as theatrical costumes made by the artist for Sergei Diaghilev's enterprise for the ballet production of "The Ball" in 1929. A unique publication has been prepared for the exhibition, which will include articles by Italian researchers, as well as a text by the curator of the exhibition, researcher at the Tretyakov Gallery T. Goryacheva, on the influence of Giorgio de Chirico on Russian art.

exhibition name: "Metaphysical Insights" by Giorgio de Chirico
where is the exhibition taking place: State Tretyakov Gallery, Krymsky Val, 10, halls 80-82, Moscow
exhibition time: April 20 – July 23, 2017

on the picture: fragment of the work "Orpheus" by Giorgio de Chirico, 1970

On April 20, the first exhibition in Russia of the founder of surrealism, an Italian artist of metaphysical painting, opened at the Tretyakov Gallery. Giorgio de Chirico.

Creative genius Giorgio de Chirico anticipated the emergence of the surrealists as such by more than 10 years. Today, without metaphysical painting, it is impossible to imagine the works of Rene Magritte, Joan Miró or Max Ernst.

Giorgio de Chirico born July 10, 1888 in Volos, Greece, into an Italian family. He studied painting in Athens, later in Florence, and then at the Munich Academy of Art. In his youth he was interested in the philosophy of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.

“I began to paint pictures in which I could express that powerful and mystical feeling that was revealed to me when reading Nietzsche: Italian cities on a clear autumn day, the melancholy of midday... I cannot imagine art in any other way. Thought must break away from what we call logic and meaning, free itself from all human attachments, in order to see objects from a new angle, to highlight their previously unknown features.”

Giorgio de Chirico

Like most of today's famous artists of that time, in 1910 he moved to Paris, where he became friends with Pablo Picasso and Goyome Appolinaire. While in Italy during the First World War, together with the artist Carlo Carra, he founded the metaphysical painting movement, an artistic phenomenon specific to Italy.

Giorgio de Chirico. "Afternoon Melancholy" 1913

It should be noted that as a phenomenon, metaphysical painting quickly exhausted itself. The last painting in this style Giorgio de Chirico wrote in 1918, Carra - in 1921. But the wave of metaphysics in painting was picked up in time by the surrealists, and was reborn into a qualitatively different, but similar genre.

Giorgio de Chirico. "Restless Muses" 1918

Exhibition Giorgio de Chirico in the Tretyakov Gallery begins with the section “The Path of Metaphysics,” which reveals the essence of this genre, its plots and techniques. It is important to understand that Kiriko He called his painting “metaphysical” himself, relying on the philosophical interpretation of metaphysics as the study of the original laws of being, which is beyond the limits of empirical experience.

Visually, this approach is expressed in the creation on canvas of magical parallel worlds, mysterious landscapes filled with melancholy, anxiety and ambiguity.

The next section of the exhibition is “History and Myth”. Here are the paintings, in the creation of which Chirico turned to the subjects of antiquity and classics. This is followed by the “Old Masters” section, in which the artist quotes Rubens, Titian, Courbet, Fragonard and other famous masters.

Giorgio de Chirico. "Two masks." 1926

A special place among the works presented at the exhibition “Metaphysical Insights” is occupied by those created by Kiriko costumes for the legendary ones, which were previously worked on by members of the World of Art society (Valentin Serov, Lev Bakst, Alexander Benois). So, Giorgio de Chirico was involved in the creation of costumes for the ballets “Ball” (1929) and “Proteus” (1938).

The painting of the exhibition “Metaphysical Insights” is also complemented by sculpture and graphics by de Chirico. Thus, in the Tretyakov Gallery you can see terracotta figures in bronze, as well as sketches of future paintings.

The exhibition concludes with the “Neo-Metaphysics” cycle, which presents the artist’s late works from 1968 to 1976. During these years Giorgio de Chirico, which is typical for his age, rethought his previous works and recreated them in new interpretations. For example, the work “Inner Metaphysics of the Workshop” (1969), which revives familiar old works of the master.

Giorgio de Chirico."Inner melancholy of the workshop." 1969

Material prepared by: Yulia Sidimyantseva

"Giorgio de Chirico. Metaphysical Insights” is the name of the exhibition, which opened on April 20, 2017 in the New Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val. It will last until July 23, 2017 and will give the Russian viewer the opportunity to get up close and personal with the iconic figure of Russian-Italian relations of the 20th century, for the first time since the artist’s lifetime exhibition in 1929. By the way, it was then that the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin acquired his “Romans”...

Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978) is an Italian artist who comes from an ancient aristocracy - Sicilian on his father and Genoese on his mother. He lived most of his young life in Greece, absorbing its antiquity.

The environment of Orthodox Greek culture probably also made itself felt, and became the painter’s first link with Russia. In addition, he was twice married to women originating from Russia, and was friendly and collaborated with S. Diaghilev.

The idea of ​​showing Giorgio de Chirico’s exhibition in Moscow as important for Russian-Italian relations was highly appreciated by V.V. Putin and S. Mattarella, Presidents of both countries. Its implementation fell on the shoulders of the Tretyakov Gallery and the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation, and was supported by 5 museums and private collections in Europe. A total of 100 works are presented, including theatrical costumes, sketches, figurines and paintings.

The result of the efforts was something special and large-scale. As the organizers of the exhibition unanimously noted, G. De Chirico was one of the great artists of the 20th century, along with P. Picasso. According to the Italian curator of the project G. Mercurio: “De Chirico was convinced that art is a cycle where everything returns and art itself gives birth to art.”

Almost all the famous images of ancient art, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance appear before the viewer’s eyes, but all this is done in a special, unique author’s manner. Although the exhibition contains 3 sections that mark de Chirico’s path to the metaphysical exploration of the world through neoclassicism, revival and Nietzscheanism, antiquity never leaves his canvases, leaving a symbolic trace in all his works.

When asked whether the artist de Chirico is national or supranational, O. Strada answered: “Of course, he is Italian pride, therefore he is an Italian artist. At the same time, it is supranational. Moreover, we already live within the borders of Europe, a broader concept of a country. And in those days, we must not forget, artists traveled to cultural capitals. In the 1920s, this was Paris, then London, then Rome and Milan... Because all artists always try to absorb what is new.

As for de Chirico, he lived in Greece for many years, his father was an engineer and he worked there. Therefore, of course, all Greek culture, Greek tradition is part of de Chirico’s aesthetic landscape. He also studied in Berlin, where modernism was in vogue in those years. But de Chirico did not like fashionable art because he believed that it was superficial. He loved A. Böcklin very much, and for some time tried to extract the essence of his art. Another very important thing for de Chirico was knowledge of the philosophers of that time. He spent his life reading Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, and his paintings often reflect Nietzsche's philosophical thoughts. For example, the theme of eternal return.”

Exhibition “Giorgio de Chirico. Metaphorical Insights” opens the “Cherry Forest” festival, organized by the famous company Bosco di Ciliegi, its founder M.E. Kusnirovich. De Chirico entered his life, in the Italian office, in 1995 in the form of two copies of his paintings - there he was imprinted in his memory and remained in it. “E-Vesti” took this opportunity to ask Mikhail Ernestovich how important de Chirico is for us and for our culture today: “I think he is very important. De Chirico “spinned” himself deep and high, and invited the viewer to do the same. There is a lot to think about: images, combination of planes, volumes, colors... For a discerning viewer, this is what you need. These are not wonderful “bears in the forest”, not only that.

All the artists of the early 20th century were in an excited state; they felt their missionary mission and anticipated the development of such a huge number of movements. Someone was the forerunner of surrealism, someone was engaged in futurism, someone was an avant-garde solution... They were faced with universal, worldview problems, and that’s why, it seems to me that after 100 years and beyond, this remains modernity”...

How to get to the museum

• Metro
• By car

From Oktyabrskaya metro station: exit the metro onto Krymsky Val Street and follow towards the bridge. Cross the road opposite the main entrance to Gorky Park.

From the Park Kultury metro station: exit the metro onto Krymsky Val Street and cross the bridge. Cross the road opposite the main entrance to Gorky Park.

Follow from Kaluga Square along the inner side of the Garden Ring.

Days of free visits to the museum

Every Wednesday, admission to the permanent exhibition “Art of the 20th Century” and temporary exhibitions in (Krymsky Val, 10) is free for visitors without a guided tour (except for exhibitions and the project “Avant-garde in three dimensions: Goncharova and Malevich”).

The right to free access to exhibitions in the main building on Lavrushinsky Lane, the Engineering Building, the New Tretyakov Gallery, the house-museum of V.M. Vasnetsov, museum-apartment of A.M. Vasnetsova is provided on the following days for certain categories of citizens first come first serve basis:

First and second Sunday of every month:

for students of higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation, regardless of the form of study (including foreign citizens-students of Russian universities, graduate students, adjuncts, residents, assistant trainees) upon presentation of a student card (does not apply to persons presenting student cards “student-trainee” );

for students of secondary and secondary specialized educational institutions (from 18 years old) (citizens of Russia and CIS countries). Students holding ISIC cards on the first and second Sunday of each month have the right to free admission to the “Art of the 20th Century” exhibition at the New Tretyakov Gallery.

every Saturday - for members of large families (citizens of Russia and CIS countries).

Please note that conditions for free admission to temporary exhibitions may vary. Check the exhibition pages for more information.

Attention! At the Gallery's box office, entrance tickets are provided at a nominal value of “free” (upon presentation of the appropriate documents - for the above-mentioned visitors). In this case, all services of the Gallery, including excursion services, are paid in accordance with the established procedure.

Visiting the museum on holidays

Dear visitors!

Please pay attention to the opening hours of the Tretyakov Gallery on holidays. There is a fee to visit.

Please note that entry with electronic tickets is on a first-come, first-served basis. You can familiarize yourself with the rules for returning electronic tickets at.

Congratulations on the upcoming holiday and we are waiting for you in the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery!

The right to preferential visits The Gallery, except in cases provided for by a separate order of the Gallery management, is provided upon presentation of documents confirming the right to preferential visits to:

• pensioners (citizens of Russia and CIS countries),
• full holders of the Order of Glory,
• students of secondary and secondary specialized educational institutions (from 18 years old),
• students of higher educational institutions of Russia, as well as foreign students studying at Russian universities (except for intern students),
• members of large families (citizens of Russia and CIS countries).

Free visit right The main and temporary exhibitions of the Gallery, except in cases provided for by a separate order of the Gallery’s management, are provided to the following categories of citizens upon presentation of documents confirming the right of free admission:

• persons under 18 years of age;
• students of faculties specializing in the field of fine arts at secondary specialized and higher educational institutions in Russia, regardless of the form of study (as well as foreign students studying at Russian universities). The clause does not apply to persons presenting student cards of “trainee students” (if there is no information about the faculty on the student card, a certificate from the educational institution must be presented with the obligatory indication of the faculty);
• veterans and disabled people of the Great Patriotic War, combatants, former minor prisoners of concentration camps, ghettos and other places of forced detention created by the Nazis and their allies during the Second World War, illegally repressed and rehabilitated citizens (citizens of Russia and the CIS countries);
• conscripts of the Russian Federation;
• Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation, Full Knights of the Order of Glory (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• disabled people of groups I and II, participants in the liquidation of the consequences of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• one accompanying disabled person of group I (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• one accompanying disabled child (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• artists, architects, designers - members of the relevant creative Unions of Russia and its constituent entities, art critics - members of the Association of Art Critics of Russia and its constituent entities, members and employees of the Russian Academy of Arts;
• members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM);
• employees of museums of the system of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the relevant Departments of Culture, employees of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and ministries of culture of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;
• museum volunteers - entrance to the exhibition “Art of the 20th Century” (Krymsky Val, 10) and to the Museum-Apartment of A.M. Vasnetsova (citizens of Russia);
• guides-translators who have an accreditation card of the Association of Guides-Translators and Tour Managers of Russia, including those accompanying a group of foreign tourists;
• one teacher of an educational institution and one accompanying a group of students from secondary and secondary specialized educational institutions (with an excursion voucher or subscription); one teacher of an educational institution that has state accreditation of educational activities when conducting an agreed training session and has a special badge (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• one accompanying a group of students or a group of conscripts (if they have an excursion package, subscription and during a training session) (Russian citizens).

Visitors to the above categories of citizens receive a “Free” entrance ticket.

Please note that the conditions for discounted admission to temporary exhibitions may vary. Check the exhibition pages for more information.