{"id":2455,"date":"2020-03-04T21:06:43","date_gmt":"2020-03-04T20:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fontecesia.it\/?p=2455"},"modified":"2020-03-04T21:06:43","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T20:06:43","slug":"contemporary-art-todi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fontecesia.it\/en\/travel-itineraries-umbria\/contemporary-art-todi\/","title":{"rendered":"Beverly Pepper and more: contemporary art in Todi"},"content":{"rendered":"

While it is true that Todi<\/strong> is especially renowned as a\u00a0gem of ancient art and architecture<\/strong>, especially medieval, it is also true that the city is currently thriving and looks towards a bright future. In particular, as an attraction it increasingly represents a true bench mark for<\/strong> contemporary art<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A relatively recent vocation, originating in the \u201870s when Todi started becoming the choice \u201chome away from home\u201d<\/strong> by well-known figures, intellectuals and also artists. These included Beverly Pepper<\/strong> who came to the hill town in 1970 and built her home-studio in the Todi countryside.<\/p>\n

Other artists such as\u00a0Piero Dorazio<\/strong>,\u00a0Alighiero Boetti<\/strong>\u00a0as well as\u00a0Bruno Ceccobelli<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Ugo Levita<\/strong>, to name a few, then followed her example, creating an interesting and dynamic\u00a0cultural movement\u00a0in town which was also the perfect terrain for the development of other important projects. Here is an itinerary to discover the best of contemporary art in Todi.<\/p>\n

The Beverly Pepper Park<\/h2>\n

For this\u00a0American sculptor, a citizen of Todi by adoption, 2019 was an intensive year of initiatives and recognitions connected specifically to the city of Jacopone thanks to a project entitled \u201cBeverly Pepper between Todi and the world<\/strong>\u201d. In particular, the Todi Columns<\/strong> were brought back to Piazza del Popolo<\/strong> for a few months, the artist\u2019s four monumental sculptures towering between 8 and 12 metres tall<\/strong>, which had been installed in that very location for the first time in 1979.<\/p>\n

They were then exhibited<\/strong> in the\u00a0United States<\/strong>: in Washington in 1980, during the International Sculpture Conference, and at the Brooklyn Museum of Art of New York in 1987. They were brought back to Italy in the Nineties, exhibited initially in Venice\u00a0<\/strong>and then in\u00a0Florence<\/strong>. Pepper then donated the works to the Civic Museums of Venice<\/strong> for permanent installation, in the courtyard of Spazio Thetis at the Arsenal.<\/p>\n

For Todi a\u00a0re-edition of the original sculptures\u00a0was arranged, whereby they were relocated from the Piazza to the Beverly Pepper Park<\/strong>, inaugurated on September 14 2019. It is the first monothematic park for contemporary sculpture in Umbria<\/strong>, and Beverly Pepper\u2019s first in the world.<\/p>\n

The route that connects the Santa Maria della Consolazione<\/strong> Church to the San Fortunato<\/strong> Church, particularly the area of the Parco della Rocca<\/strong> (Fortress Park), it was designed and planned by Pepper herself and features twenty sculptures donated<\/strong> by the artist to the city of Todi, all from her private collection. The works are made with materials ranging from iron\u00a0to stainless steel\u00a0to\u00a0stone\u00a0and date from various artistic periods, from 1960 and the 2000s. The result is an urban-naturalistic itinerary, which takes approximately 30 minutes to walk through, involving the interaction between art, monuments, landscape and urban context.<\/p>\n

The Painted House<\/h2>\n

A private home that has become a work of art: the\u00a0Painted House of Todi<\/strong>\u00a0is exactly that.<\/p>\n

A dwelling dating back to the 1800s, just steps away from Piazza del Popolo, was bought in 1975 by Irish artist\u00a0Brian O\u2019Doherty\u00a0and his wife\u00a0Barbara Novak<\/strong>, who were among those artists who chose Todi as their adoptive city.<\/p>\n

Over the years Brian O\u2019Doherty painted his home himself, covering the walls with frescoes<\/strong> that allude to his artistic career or are inspired by the ancient Celtic language<\/strong>, Ogham<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Painted House is now considered\u00a0one-of-a kind in the world<\/strong>\u00a0and is an extremely popular destination for tourists and visitors.<\/p>\n

Art Galleries<\/h2>\n

On the wave of artistic buzz which, as mentioned previously, has been part of the fabric of the city for several decades, on the hill of Todi there are\u00a0numerous spaces<\/strong> dedicated to contemporary art. These include\u00a0Galleria Artenate<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Bibo\u2019s Place<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Ab Ovo Gallery<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Home Gallery Biganti<\/a>,\u00a0Silvia Ranchicchio ART<\/a>,\u00a0Galleria Space Mater<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Each one is certainly worth a visit, though we always recommend looking into opening days and times before heading out.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Todi is especially renowned as a\u00a0gem of ancient art and architecture, especially medieval, it is also true that the city currently represents a true bench mark for contemporary art.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2338,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[98],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n