Art Gallery visit and a Patio Pasta lunch

Friday October 7 was another beautiful day with a high of 24C.  Surprising summer-like weather in October.   After breakfast, we headed out to visit the Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (aka GAM).

More beautiful buildings-- reminds us of Paris's Haussmann's buildings with most the same height and with the same look

The many porticos are different than Paris 

Torino was the first Italian city to foster a public collection of modern art as an integral part of its Civic Museum, which opened in 1863.  The collections were originally housed with the ancient art collections in a building close to the Mole Antonelliana.  In 1895, they were transferred to a building near Corso Galileo Ferraris, which had been built years earlier for an art exhibition and where they remained until 1942.  After the building's destruction during WWII, the current building was erected on the same site.  It opened in 1959.  The building later became unusable in the early 1980s and was reopened to the public in 1993, after extension redevelopment.  The current museum complex comprises galleries for the permanent collection, temporary exhibit spaces and areas for educational activities.  

View of main gallery

Inside the courtyard

Educational building

Temporary Exhibit: Ottocento (19th Century)

Another smaller temporary exhibit: Maestri Serie Oro (Gold Series Masters) by Flavio Favelli 

 In the entrance to the permanent collection

The first exhibit we saw was entitled "Ottocento" (19th Century) featuring part of the GAM collections from Italy's Unification to the dawn of the 20th century. These painting from the collection have not been accessible to the public for almost four years.  There were eight themed sections: The Birth of a Collection; New Sensibilities and Research; Landscape Painting at the Museo Civico; From Scapigliatura to Devisionism; and Symbolist Research between Painting and Sculpture.  There were also three spaces dedicated to Italian artists Andrea Gastaldi, Antonio Fontanesi and Giacomo Grosso.  The portrayal of women was an important theme in the exhibit.

The exhibit was brilliant-- well curated,  informative and comprehensive.   Many of the artists were from or lived in Torino.  

Andrea Gastaldi (Torino 1826-1889). The Unnamed 1869

Andrea Gastaldi- Pietro Micca about to Light the Mine, turns his final thoughts to God and Country 1858

 (Amazing picture- very important moment, symbolizing the loyalty of subjects to their rulers).  [hmmm- another No. 6....]

Federico Maldarelli (Napoli 1826-1893) Ione and Nydia 1864

Alberto Maso Gilli (1840-1894) Mocked Visit 1869

Filippo Carcano (Milan 1840-1914) Dance Lesson 1865

Pier Celestino Gilardi (1837-1905) Sad News 1874

Carlo Pollonera (1849-1923) The Sower 1881

Antonio Fontanesi (Reggio Emilia1818-Torino,1882) Luminous Pond 1864

Lorenzo Delleani (Pollone 1840-Torino 1908) Market at Porta Palazzo ('L Bacon) 189.  (We were at the market on Wednesday).

Enrico Reycend (Torino 1855-1928) Along the Po 1883

Giacomo Grosso (Cambiano 1860- Torino 1938) Portrait of Olimpia Octane Barucchi 1896

Guilio Aristide Sartorio (Roma 1860-1932) The Siren (Green Abyss) 1893

We then went to see the new installation of the 20th century collections entitled "The Primacy of the Artwork".  It is divided into 19 sections that follows the main art movements from the past century, but also highlights the history of the civic collections on the art scene in Torino.  The first room was dedicated to three artists who most influenced 20th century Italian and international art- Giorgio de Chirico; Georgio Morandi and Filippo de Pisis.   It is an overwhelming collection of major Italian artists along with international artists.  Some artists have their own rooms.  It is an excellent permanent collection.

Giorgio Morandi (Bologna 1890-1964) Still Life 1951

Giorgio De Chirico (Volos (Grecia) 1888-Roma,1978) Self-portrait 1940-45

Luigi Filippo de Pisis (Ferrara 1896-Milano 1956) Romantic Still Life 1924-25

Giacomo Balla (Torino 1871- Roma 1958) Study for Iridescent Interpenetration 1912

Giacomo Balla, Iridescent Interpenetration no. 7 1912

Paul Klee (Switzerland 1879-1940) Confused 1934

Felice Casorati (Novara 1883 - Torino 1963) Daphne at Pavarolo 1934

Carlo Levi (Torino 1902-Roma 1975) The Painter Spazzapan 1931

Amedeo Modigliani (Livorno 1884-Paris 1920) The Red Girl (Woman's Head with Red Hair) 1915

Alberto Magnelli (Firenze 1888- Meudon, France 1971), Inundating Light 1950

Marc Chagall (Vitebsk 1887- Saint Paul de Vence, France 1985), In My Village 1943

Carla Accardi (Trapani 1924-Roma 2014) Archer on White 1955

In the lower floor, there was a small exhibit by Flavio Favelli (b. 1967 Florence) entitled I Maestri Serie Oro.  The project won the Programme for Contemporary Art public competition promoted by the Ministry of Culture.  It was a single work composed of 278 monograph booklets of the series I Maestri del Colore released in Italian newsstands between 1963 and 1967.  Favelli used one or more golden Ferrero Rocher chocolate wrappers to conceal the faces of the portraits.  The single room contained all the issues of the magazine published by Fratelli Fabbri Editori.

One portion of the exhibit

The room with all the magazine covers

As we exited the building, there was an incredible sculpture of a tree. 

 Tree by Giuseppe Penone (b. 1947 in Garessio, Piedmont, lives in Torino and Paris)

                         The sculpture marked the 150th anniversary of Italian unification.

Close up of part of the Tree

After our visit to GAM, we walked up to Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and stopped for an excellent coffee at  Pastarell.

Statue to Vittorio Emanuele II

Great coffee at Pastarell

Alonso walking by a mirror- Turin Canta La Vita- Turin sings life

We hurried by Via Roma to get to our lunch destination before it closed at 3:00 p.m.

Via Roma-- with interesting installation

We stumbled by a Stolperstein in front of an apartment where Felicino Ottolenghi lived and where he was arrested and then deported and murdered at Auschwitz.   We wonder he might be related to Yotam Ottolenghi (the cookbook author, whose father's family left Italy in 1938).

Apartment where Felicino Ottolenghi lived (Stolperstein is in the pavement in front of the building)

We got to Pastificio Defilippis at about 2:45 p.m. and got the last open patio table.  All the pasta is home-made.  Pasta has been made at this location since 1872.  We both had excellent dishes.  The restaurant came highly recommended.

I had Tajarin Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino con Tartare di 'Gamberi e Lime. Tajarin is the Piemontese version of tagliatelle made with a higher proportion of egg yolks, resulting in a delicate texture and rich flavour.  Yum! 

Alonso had Agnolotti Classici di Carne al Sugo d'Arrosto 

I took this picture of the outside of the restaurant later in the afternoon after lunch service finished

We walked down to the main Railway Station located on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and checked out some stores on that street.

Beautiful door at the Railway Station.

We then decided to visit the Synagogue of Turin located at Piazzetta Primo Levi about five minutes south of the Railway Station.  Its square is dedicated to Primo Levi, the Holocaust survivor and writer, who was born in Turin in 1919, deported to Auschwitz, survived and then committed suicide in the same house in which he was born, in 1987.   

After regaining their civil rights in the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1848, the Jewish community wished to build a synagogue in Turin, in order to establish their presence in the capital of the Kingdom.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, work began on what is now the Mole Antonelliana.  In 1875, it became clear that the architect (Alessandro Antonelli)'s vision was beyond the scope and budget of the community.  For that reason, they chose to sell the half-completed building to the City in exchange for a sum of money and the land upon which the current-day synagogue stands. 

In 1880, architect Enrico Petite started work for the present-day, moorish style synagogue, which would be completed in 1884.  On November 20, 1942, Allied bombardments of Torino completely destroyed the synagogue, with the exception of the exterior walls.  It was rebuilt between 1945 and 1949.

Nearby street- not far from the main Railway Station

Synagogue from one side-- army guards in front

Front view of Moorish style

View from other side

Plaque on left- Piazzetta Primo Levi

We headed back to the street where we had lunch to wander and slowly head back in the direction of our apartment.

Styl'n on Via Lagrange

We stopped for some retail therapy at Kassida, a lovely store on a side street with a number of Italian designers.

  

Inside Kassida

 Facing from inside the store to the street

We continued walking.  It is very easy to walk from one Piazza to another.  There are a lot of pedestrianized areas as well, and of course the many porticos.

The first Parliament and one side of the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento

It was still warm out at 5:30 p.m., so we stopped for a gelato at +Di Un Gelato.  Alonso had a small cone with nocciola (hazelnuts from Piemonte) and Gianduia (the special chocolate from Torino).  I had a small cup with strawberry and chocolate sorbetto.  All very good.

Alonso with his gelato and mine

We wandered into the adjoining Piazza Carlo Alberto with the National Library-- such a beautiful building.

National Library

Then we headed back to the apartment.  One last photo of Piazza Castello.

Piazza Castello (the largest Piazza in Torino)

I began work on the blog and Alonso had a nap.  Chef Alonso then prepared a light dinner.  It was a wonderful day of art, good food, history and lots of walking!!