“ORO. Tesoro, Bellezza, Luce, Vita”
a solo exhibition by Filippo Rossi
In Arezzo, the Italian capital of goldsmithing, at the Fraternita dei Laici, from 22 February to 10 April 2025
an exhibition to explore the meanings that the precious metal has covered and covers in art curated by Mons. Timothy Verdon
Vernissage Saturday 22 February at 5:30 pm, the initiative is part of the system of celebrations
“Arezzo. The city of Vasari”, dedicated to the Arezzo master on the 450th anniversary of his death
Arezzo, 13.02.2025 – In Arezzo, the Italian capital of goldsmithing, an exhibition to explore the meanings of gold in art through the centuries. It will be hosted in the spaces of the Fraternita dei Laici (via Giorgio Vasari 6) “ORO. Treasure, Beauty, Light, Life”, a solo exhibition of the artist Filippo Rossi curated by Mons. Timothy Verdon. The use of gold has distinguished Rossi’s artistic research for over 30 years, expressed in both material and aesthetic, theological and cosmic perspectives. In this, the artist refers to the masters Giorgio Vasari wrote about, who saw in gold material wealth and ornament, but also a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment and existential fullness. It is no coincidence that the exhibition – which will be inaugurated on Saturday 22 February at 5:30 pm – is part of “Arezzo. The city of Vasari”, a series of celebrations to pay homage to the Arezzo master on the 450th anniversary of his death, promoted by the Municipality of Arezzo and the Fondazione CR Firenze with the Fondazione Guido D’Arezzo, in collaboration with the Regional Directorate of National Museums of Tuscany of the Ministry of Culture, the Uffizi Galleries, and curated by the scientific committee chaired by Carlo Sisi. Catalogue published by Leonardo Libri Polistampa (free admission, info www.vasari450.it).
The exhibition will unfold in four spaces: “a cognitive as well as emotional journey – as the artist himself defines it – from the centuries described by Vasari to the present, highlighting the values that gold has represented”. In each space, Rossi’s works address gold from a different point of view, in dialogue with great masterpieces of the past, in reproduction. In the first room, that of the “Treasure”, a detail of “The Gold Mine” by Jacopo Zucchi, disciple and collaborator of Vasari, will act as a counterpoint to sculptures and paintings by Rossi focused on the physical attractiveness of gold, the heritage of a few that costs the effort of many. We move on to the second space, dedicated to “Beauty”. The connection between gold and beauty is an ancient theme, already present in the myth of the golden apple given by Paris to Aphrodite, as evidenced by Peter Paul Rubens’ painting “Judgement of Paris”. Starting from this suggestion, Rossi applies a gold leaf on different materials – fabric, jute, extruded polystyrene – transmitting tactile sensations between the sensual and the sacred. We proceed towards the “Light”: the gold used to denote the stars or the sun, as Gentile da Fabriano did in his “Flight into Egypt”, recalls one of Rossi’s favourite themes, Christ as light, represented in this room by a monumental “Tree of Life”, over 4 metres of gold leaf on canvas. Finally, “Life”, the last step of the exhibition in which Piero della Francesca’s “Baptism of Christ” will offer the key to understanding another monumental work, a golden crux that takes up the Piero della Francesca image by transfiguring the cross from an instrument of death into an instrument of salvation.
“The Filippo Rossi exhibition, hosted in the splendid setting of the Fraternita dei Laici, represents a highly prestigious event for our city and yet another opportunity to celebrate the genius of Giorgio Vasari. Arezzo, a city that is a symbol of Italian goldsmith art, confirms itself as a lively and dynamic cultural center, capable of hosting events of national importance and the exhibition invites us to reflect on the profound meaning that gold has represented for art, through an exhibition path that starts from the masters of the past and arrives to the present day and that I am sure will fascinate visitors”, declares the mayor and president of the Guido d'Arezzo foundation Alessandro Ghinelli.
“This one in Arezzo – says Mons. Timothy Verdon – will be the largest exhibition of Filippo Rossi in Italy after the solo show at Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence in 2015. Thus the Vasari year closes in glory, bringing back to Tuscany an artist celebrated in Europe and the USA, whose conceptual and material development continues to surprise and move”.
"My use of the signs of gold and especially of the sacred sign of the Cross - explains Filippo Rossi - expresses the search for a fusion of the expressive power of art, of that art that speaks with its own voice and is not mere repetition, and of the greatness of thought elaborated in the tradition of the Church. When we overcome what is inadequate and superficial, we find ourselves making a dangerous journey towards a higher mystery.
When I think of a work, I ask myself: “Is my art an expression of my inner life?” My art becomes, in other words, a personal testimony: not an aesthetic exercise but a profession of faith. Precisely that faith forces the artist to expose himself, providing the hermeneutic key to his work, which perhaps is not immediately evident to those who see it. Even if the subject of a work is the artist’s personal drama or suffering, what matters is that the viewer’s gaze is brought to the Mystery, which always offers a glimmer of hope”.
Filippo Rossi (1970) has been exploring the themes of Christian art for over 20 years, with works and installations exhibited in museums and public and private collections, and for this reason he was among the artists invited to the meeting with Benedict XVI. The focus of his research is the request to pause in front of the image, so that the work, initially fascinating for its colors and composition, acquires an “other meaning” upon deeper reading, creating an intimate conversation, almost a dialogue between the artist-creature and his Creator. His works are silent and dry, and in them the only concession to opulence is the use of gold, which is counterbalanced by the poverty of the colors and materials.
“Arezzo. The city of Vasari” is an initiative promoted by the Municipality of Arezzo and the Fondazione CR Firenze with the Fondazione Guido D’Arezzo and the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, partner Archivio di Stato di Arezzo, Diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro, Biblioteca Città di Arezzo, Fraternita dei Laici di Arezzo, Fondazione Arezzo Intour. Graphic design by Wml design.
INFO
Guido d’Arezzo Foundation
Corso Italia 102 – Arezzo
www.vasari450.it
Guido d’Arezzo Foundation Press Office
CP Plus
Sara Chiarello; Corpaci +39 339 2439292
