The Museo del Novecento's collection allows visitors to fully grasp the artistic journey of early Futurism's greatest exponent: from paintings still in a Divisionist vein such as “La Signora Virginia” (Mrs Virginia, 1905) through to well-known and more representative examples of the abstract experience such as the sculpture “Forme uniche della continuità nello spazio” (Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913).
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Room "Umberto Boccioni"Museo del Novecento
La signora Virginia (1905) by Umberto BoccioniMuseo del Novecento
Room "Umberto Boccioni"Museo del Novecento
Umberto Boccioni and the Futurism
Umberto Boccioni, born in Reggio Calabria in 1882, arrived in Milan in 1908 after living in Padua and Venice and studying at Giacomo Balla's studio in Rome alongside Gino Severini and Mario Sironi. It was in the capital of Lombardy, the hub of modernity and economic development in early 20th-century Italy, that Boccioni met Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in 1910. Together, they contributed to the offensive against cultural traditionalism by joining the Futurist movement: alongside Carlo Carrà, Luigi Russolo and Gino Severini, Boccioni signed the “Manifesto of the Futurist Painters” and the “Technical Manifesto of Futurist Painting” in 1910.
Stati d'animo - Gli addii (1911) by Umberto BoccioniMuseo del Novecento
In Stati d’animo,(States of Mind), a triptych created in 1911, he tackles a topic beloved of artists working in that period, using a style that still betrays Divisionist influences in its use of colour.
Stati d'animo - Quelli che vanno (1911) by Umberto BoccioniMuseo del Novecento
Stati d'animo - Quelli che restano (1911) by Umberto BoccioniMuseo del Novecento
Elasticità (1912) by Umberto BoccioniMuseo del Novecento
After Paris
After seeing the works of the Cubists during a trip to Paris in 1912, Boccioni began to reflect on the importance of a work's geometric composition; he added the thrust and power of movement to the mix, leading to masterpieces such as “Elasticità” (Elasticity) in 1913 and the fragmented forms of “Donna al Caffè“ (Women at the Cafe) and “Costruzione Spiralica” (Spiral Construction).
Donna al caffe - Compenetrazione di luci e piani (1912/1914) by Umberto BoccioniMuseo del Novecento
Costruzione spiralica (1913) by Umberto BoccioniMuseo del Novecento
Sotto il pergolato a Napoli (1914) by Umberto BoccioniMuseo del Novecento
"Sotto il pergolato a Napoli"
His sense of creative urgency eventually led him to outgrow this phase, and the works of his later years were influenced by his study of Cézanne. In “Sotto il pergolato a Napoli” (Under the Pergola in Naples, 1914), the solidity of the forms returns as a central element of the painting, albeit accompanied by many innovative elements. Boccioni died in 1916 after falling from a horse. His premature death curtailed an artistic phase that would undoubtedly have led to further experimentation.
Studio Boccioni Studio BoccioniMuseo del Novecento
Studio Boccioni Studio BoccioniMuseo del Novecento
Umberto Boccioni mentre disegna un cavallo durante il soggiorno a Parigi Umberto Boccioni mentre disegna un cavallo durante il soggiorno a ParigiMuseo del Novecento
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