On 18 July 2021, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Giacomo Balla. For the occasion, the Maxxi (National Museum of XNUMXst Century Arts) has decided to open the doors of this splendid city to the public for the first time Balla house. A futurist house, full of art and colors, which celebrates his genius.
Casa Balla, an exceptional opening
Giacomo Balla was a leading exponent of Futurism. He was a painter, a sculptor, a scenographer. And, his house, tells all this. Located in via Oslavia a Roma, it is now possible to visit it thanks to the project "Balla house. From home to the universe and back". There are two moments in which the project - curated by the director of Maxxi Arte Bartolomeo Pietromarchi and by the curator for Design Domitilla Dardi - takes place: the inauguration of the exhibition at Maxxi (June 17) and the opening of Casa Balla ( every weekend, starting Friday 25 June). Thus, visitors will be able to stroll among those rooms in which Giacomo Balla lived until the day of his death, together with his wife Elisa and two daughters Elica and Luce. "FuturDance“, We read on the plate affixed to the door. A prelude full of wonder, which heralds extraordinary rooms: the girls' rooms, the red study, the kitchen, the bathroom.
Casa Balla is a microworld of colored doors, painted walls, surreal furnishings. But there are also the paintings, the sculptures, the clothes that Balla designed and then sewed. This is not a static house. It is not just a museum. It is a futuristic set ofobjects of common use that the artist has designed and used. Alongside his creations, those of his daughters (who remained here until the 2004s). Crossing those doors really seems to enter a casket of surprises and treasures, well preserved thanks to the protection constraint in force until XNUMX and the restructuring and safety measures (carried out by the Bank of Italy in collaboration with the Special Superintendency of Rome).
Who was Giacomo Balla
"Balla's apartment in the heart of the Vittoria district in Rome enhances its kaleidoscopic and experimental universe. A 360-degree vision of art that is surprisingly current and of great inspiration for today's creative communities ": this is how Giovanna Melandri, president of Maxxi, describes Casa Balla. The house, open until November 21st from Friday to Sunday, can be visited together with the Maxxi (cost of the combined ticket for adults, € 22) or alone (ticket cost, € 10). And it represents an unmissable opportunity to get to know Giacomo Balla's art up close. Che, born from a seamstress and an industrial chemist with a passion for photography, approached the pointillist style to then become the undisputed protagonist of Futurism.
“FuturBalla”: this is how Giacomo Balla signed his works. But he didn't just make paintings. He signed the futurist manifesto “Le vêtement masculin futuriste”, which suggested how to apply futurist aesthetics to men's clothing. He made futurist flowers at Casa Cuseni (Taormina), composed wordless tables and designed sets. He painted the walls of the Bal Tic Tac, a Roman cabaret club, exhibited his works - starting with the iconic “Dynamism of a dog on a leash” - at the MoMA in New York. Today, his genius remains. Kept in his works, and in that house that everyone now has the privilege of seeing.
Photo source in evidence Facebook page of MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts
