The Arts - Rome - page 699

chinery and technology as their central tenets. They were also nationalistic and highly
militaristic.
One of the movement's founding fathers, Giacomo Balla encapsulated the futurist
ideals in works such as Espansione dinamica Velocit à (Dynamic Expansion and Speed) ,
one of a series of paintings exploring the dynamic nature of motion, and Forme Grido
Viva l'Italia (The Shout Viva l'Italia) , an abstract work inspired by the futurists' desire
for Italy to enter WWI. Both are on show at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna.
Metaphysical Painting
In contrast to the brash vitality of futurism, metaphysical paintings were peopled by mys-
terious images conjured up from the subconscious world. Its most famous exponent was
Giorgio de Chirico (1888−1978), whose visionary works were a major influence on the
French surrealist movement. With their stillness and sense of foreboding they often show
classical subjects presented as enigmatic mannequin-like figures. Good examples include
Ettore e Andromaca (Hector and Andromache) in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna,
and Orfeo Solitario (Solitary Orpheus) in the Museo Carlo Bilotti.
Contemporary Scene
Rome's contemporary art scene is centred on the capital's two flagship galleries: the
Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo, better known as MAXXI, and the Museo
d'Arte Contemporanea di Roma, aka MACRO. Both have attracted widespread attention
since they were opened in 2010 and 2011 respectively, but the jury remains out as to
whether the exhibitions they host are equal to the sleek, architecturally innovative build-
ings that house them. More worryingly, recent austerity-driven cut-backs have begun to
bite and a question mark currently hangs over MAXXI's future.
Other important galleries include the Gagosian, the Rome-branch of Larry Gagosian's
contemporary arts empire, and MACRO Testaccio, an exhibition space in Rome's former
slaughterhouse.
In terms of home-grown talent, Rome's artistic hub is the Pastificio Cerere in San
Lorenzo. A pasta factory turned art studio, it's home to a number of working artists, in-
cluding Maurizio Savini, best known for his sculptures made from pink chewing gum, and
photographers Eligio Paoni and Gabriele Giugni. Other Rome-based artists to look out for
include the video-artist Elisabetta Benassi, and Tiziano Lucci, who has exhibited in Bri-
tain, Germany, the US and Argentina.