Berengo Gardin in Giorgio Morandi’s Studio at Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria
Till September 28, 2025, the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria in Perugia, Italy, hosts the exhibition “Gianni Berengo Gardin Photographs Giorgio Morandi’s Studio”, curated by Alessandra Mauro. The show presents 21 photographs taken in 1993 by the renowned Italian photographer, who was commissioned to document Morandi’s historic studio before it was dismantled for the opening of the Museo Morandi in Bologna.
LEFT: Gianni Berengo Gardin, One of the Shelves Used for Compositions in the Studio, 1993, silver gelatin print, Gianni Berengo Gardin Archive, Milan © 2025 Gianni Berengo Gardin / Fondazione Forma per la Fotografia / Contrasto; RIGHT: Gianni Berengo Gardin, One of the shelves used for compositions in the studio, 1993, silver gelatin print, Gianni Berengo Gardin Archive, Milan © 2025 Gianni Berengo Gardin / Fondazione Forma per la Fotografia / Contrasto
Berengo Gardin’s photographs delicately and respectfully capture the intimacy of the spaces once inhabited by the Emilian painter, revealing the everyday objects featured in Morandi’s renowned still lifes. In parallel, two original works by Giorgio Morandi, on loan from the Museo Morandi, enrich the exhibition, creating a captivating dialogue between photography and painting.
Gianni Berengo Gardin: Witness to Reality
Gianni Berengo Gardin was born in 1930 in Santa Margherita, Ligure. After living in Rome and Venice—where he discovered photography—he settled in Milan in 1965, becoming one of the most influential figures in reportage and social documentary photography. His humanistic sensitivity led him to observe and portray society through a photographic language that is both powerful and poetic. His connection to Giorgio Morandi stems from their shared ability to transform the ordinary into something universal and profoundly moving. By photographing the painter’s studio, Berengo Gardin does not merely document a physical space; he evokes the spirituality and the meticulous aesthetic discipline that define Morandi’s work.
LEFT: Gianni Berengo Gardin, Morandi’s hat and some books kept next to the bed in the studio, 1993, silver gelatin print, Gianni Berengo Gardin Archive, Milan © 2025 Gianni Berengo Gardin / Fondazione Forma per la Fotografia / Contrasto; RIGHT: Gianni Berengo Gardin, The studio, 1993, silver gelatin print, Gianni Berengo Gardin Archive, Milan © 2025 Gianni Berengo Gardin / Fondazione Forma per la Fotografia / Contrasto
Morandi: The Silent Poetry of Objects
Giorgio Morandi (1890–1964), one of the most significant painters of twentieth-century Italian art, spent nearly his entire life in Bologna, devoting himself tirelessly to the study of everyday objects—bottles, vases, boxes. Influenced by Cézanne, Derain, and the pictorial plasticity of the Italian Renaissance masters, Morandi explored still life with patience and precision, developing an intimate and meditative vision of reality.
LEFT: Giorgio Morandi, Still Life, 1951, oil on canvas, Museo Morandi, Bologna © Giorgio Morandi, by SIAE; RIGHT: Gianni Berengo Gardin photographs Giorgio Morandi's studio, Perugia, Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, photo by Marco Giugliarelli
Behind the Scenes of Creation
Berengo Gardin’s black-and-white images reveal to the public the private dimension of Morandi’s artistic work: lived-in rooms, traces of time, and carefully arranged objects—silent protagonists of his paintings. This photographic documentation becomes a form of visual poetry, unveiling the painter’s contemplative and creative process.
LEFT: Gianni Berengo Gardin photographs Morandi’s studio, Perugia, Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria. photo: Marco Giugliarelli; RIGHT: Gianni Berengo Gardin photographs Morandi’s studio, Perugia, Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria. photo: Marco Giugliarelli
Berengo Gardin: A Life in Black and White
One fascinating aspect of Gianni Berengo Gardin’s career is his unwavering commitment to black-and-white photography. Despite the rise of color and digital technology, the photographer has remained loyal to an analog and monochrome approach. According to Berengo Gardin, black and white does not distract the viewer—it leads directly to the essence of the composition, allowing for a deeper and more intense reading of the image. This stylistic choice is clearly reflected in the photographs featured in the exhibition, further emphasizing the contemplative and introspective quality of his views of Morandi’s studio.
The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Museo Morandi in Bologna and the Berengo Gardin Studio in Milan, with the support of L’orologio società cooperativa – Business Unit Sistema Museo.
LEFT: Giorgio Morandi’s Studio, 1993 – Gianni Berengo Gardin, The Studio, 1993, silver gelatin print, Gianni Berengo Gardin Archive, Milan © 2025 Gianni Berengo Gardin / Fondazione Forma per la Fotografia / Contrasto; RIGHT: Gianni Berengo Gardin photographs Morandi’s studio, Perugia, Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria. photo: Marco Giugliarelli
LOT-ART SERVICES FOR COLLECTORS
NEW! Best Deals: Bid on highly liquid lots with an estimate below the historical sale price. Make smart investment decisions powered by Market Analytics. Discover Best Deals >>
Market Analytics: Lot-Art big data analytics assess the liquidity, actual value, investment risk and profitability of fine art (contemporary art, modern art, old masters) and luxury collectibles (timepieces), enabling informed investment decisions within a strategy of portfolio diversification. Discover Market Analytics >>
Lot-Art Memberships: Receive Personalized Alerts on your favourite artists and collectibles at auction worldwide to never miss a bid! Subscribe now >>
Lot-Art.com is the world's largest search engine & aggregator of art and collectibles, linking to 3800+ auction houses! Find best deals from your favorite artists and brands among 1 million lots for sale every day in our upcoming section >>
LOT-ART | The Art Investment Platform
Lot-Art.com is the largest search engine & aggregator for auctions of art and collectibles linking to 3800+ auction houses! Find best deals from your favorite artists and brands among 1 million lots for sale every day in our upcoming section.
LOT-ART | The Art Investment Platform
contact@lot-art.com
|
|
|
|
|---|
Don't want these emails anymore? |
|
|
|---|
| 
