Giorgio Morandi: Works from the Antonio and Matilde Catanese Collection

by Mariella Gnani (Editor), Giorgio Morandi (Artist), Lorenzo Balbi (Foreword), Giorgio Calcagnini (Foreword), Raffaela Catanese (Foreword), Domenico (Foreword), Teodoro (Foreword), Maria Cristina Bandera (Contributor), Federica Buccolini (Contributor), Sabrina Burattini (Contributor), Luca Cecchetto (Contributor), Stella Seitun (Contributor), Paolo A.M. Triolo (Contributor), Laura Valentini (Contributor)

Antonio and Matilde Catanese were avid collectors of Giorgio Morandi (1890–1964). Acquiring his works in the 1930s, the Milanese couple became among the first to contribute to his fame. The Catanese collection, presented in this monograph, functions as a microcosm of the artist’s oeuvre, thanks to its quantity and chronological spread covering almost all the years of the artist’s activity as well as the breadth of techniques and themes represented in its holdings. The collection includes 15 paintings made between 1914 and 1959, and three watercolors representing the abiding themes of Morandi’s work, as indicated by titles such as Still Life, Landscape and Flowers. Also included is a Self-Portrait of 1914. Another integral part of the collection is its almost complete series of etchings. All of the works have been the subjects of scientific investigations, preliminary to restoration and conservation, conducted by the University of Urbino, the results of which are presented here.