Metaphysical Art

18 March 2016

Portrait of Madame L. Gartzen 1913,
Oil on canvas, 72,5 x 60 cm.

Private Collection, Roma  The year 1910 marked not only a turning point in de Chirico’s career but also in the history of art. Following several months living in Florence, the artist experienced his first metaphysical revelation before the dominating statue of Dante and the Basilica of Santa Croce in Piazza Santa Croce. It provided him with “the strange impression that I was seeing everything for the first time. Influenced by 19th century philosophical thought, particularly by Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Weininger, de Chirico spent the ensuing eight years in Florence (1910-1911), Paris (1911-1915) and Ferrara (1915-1918) lending tangible form to his unique understanding of metaphysics through enigmatic works of his immediate surroundings and everyday objects that harbour an inherent sense of discovery and revelation. His early metaphysical corpus includes eerily empty Italian piazzas with long shadows inhabited by a solitary statue of Ariadne or that of a politician, disquieting faceless mannequins, and claustrophobic interiors filled with random juxtapositions of geometric instruments, maps, bizarre objects and the motif of paintings within paintings.

Highlighting his various periods with examples from his earliest works to last ones, Giorgio de Chirico: The Enigma of the World exhibition took place at the Pera Museum between 24 February - 08 May 2016.

A Carriage and a Squat House  <br>Liliana Maresca

A Carriage and a Squat House
Liliana Maresca

Pera Museum, in collaboration with Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), is one of the main venues for this year’s 15th Istanbul Biennial from 16 September to 12 November 2017. Through the biennial, we will be sharing detailed information about the artists and the artworks.

Paris Without End (1959-1965)

Paris Without End (1959-1965)

In the 60s, Alberto Giacometti paid homage to Paris, the city where he lived, by drawing its streets, cafés, and more private places like his studio and the apartment of his wife, Annette. These drawings would make up his last book, Paris sans fin (Paris Without End). 

Contemporary Ceramics From Around the World: 10 Artists, 10 Works

Contemporary Ceramics From Around the World: 10 Artists, 10 Works

Although traditionally used as a medium for functional or decorative objects, ceramic has become a medium that is increasingly used by contemporary. Here is the work of some important contemporary ceramic artists from around the world!