GOYA - GROSZ The sleep of reason
Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze September 23, 2022 - January 13, 2023 (check the opening on the site)
As part of its cultural programme for 2022, the Municipality of Parma presents the exhibition “GOYA - GROSZ The sleep of reason”, which will be open from September 23rd 2022 to January 13th 2023. An important, two floor-exhibition at Palazzo Pigorini, a dialogue between Francisco Goya’s Caprichos and the drawings and paintings of George Grosz, two of the greatest draughtsmen of all time. Two bodies of work of distinguished, biting social satire, of singeing political commentary, shared moral values and drastic formal innovation. An extraordinary display of both the artists’ ability to unearth profound truths with just a few lines and of their still-relevant, utterly modern poetics. Francisco Goya y Lucientes (1746 - 1828) and George Grosz (1893 – 1953), though separated by 150 years of history, strongly resemble each other in how they scrutinized the reality of their respective times while also bringing about innovation by means of their own art: Goya’s Caprichos, which are widely regarded as a harbinger of modernity, are an ominous convergence of the artist’s contingencies, insights and nightmares. Grosz is clearly a follower of the Spanish master, for, just as Goya, he was considered a caricaturist for a long time. But caricature is the sole means for these artists to describe that “monstrous likeness”, a world turned on its head, inside-out and upside-down, a carnival-like upending of reality where satire and drama walk side by side. Goya and Grosz are artists who are deeply involved in the reality of their times, with political positions that, although not always explicit, were extremely clear and went together with innovative aesthetic practices. The exhibition aims to underline this connection, already declared by Grosz in 1933, the year in which he was forced to move to the United States – where he would have huge success with public and critics alike. The exhibition is made with the contribution of Comune di Parma, Comitato per Parma 2020 and Iren and thanks to technical sponsors Gruppo Spaggiari Parma S.p.A. and Agenzia CFC – Reale Mutua Assicurazioni. ▲
Le opere di Goya e Grosz sono accomunate da una satira sociale dirompente, dall’impegno politico e dall’estrema innovazione formale, e rivelano l’estrema attualità della loro poetica: i mostri di ieri, sono i mostri di oggi. ▲