Francesco De Bartolomeis. Through art and artists

A journey through works of art, letters, archive documents and testimonies reconstructs the deep relationship between Francesco De Bartolomeis and the artists with whom he shared research, friendship and exchange throughout his life. La Town of Rivoli dedicates an exhibition to Francesco De Bartolomeis, educationalist, art critic, Professor Emeritus at the University of Turin and a leading figure in 20th-century Italian culture, deeply connected to the city where he carried out extensive work in research, education and the promotion of art.

The exhibition, curated by Tea Taramino e Irene Painter, with a critical edition by Francesco Poli, stems from the discovery of a precious heritage preserved in the home-studio by De Bartolomeis: letters, works, studies, books and documents that reveal a network of relationships forged with artists, intellectuals and students. The exhibition brings together works by the same De Bartolomeis along with paintings, sculptures, drawings, letters, photographs and documents from his personal archive, placing them in dialogue with works by a number of leading 20th-century and contemporary artists, including Lucio Fontana, Antonio Carena, Ettore Fico, Piero Gilardi, Gilberto Zorio, Luigi Mainolfi, Giacomo Soffiantino, Emilio Scanavino and Ernesto Treccani. The exhibition is accompanied by a video by Irene Painter featuring accounts from Rita Margaira e Pino Chiezzi, and serves as a tribute to the deep bond that the educationalist has forged with Rivoli, laying the foundations for the Education Department of the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art.