Un esempio di mostra itinerante al servizio della propaganda coloniale: la Somalia pittoresca di Giorgio Grazia (1934-1940)

Abstract

The essay analyses the case of Somalia pittoresca, an extensive series of works created by Giorgio Grazia, a painter from Bologna who spent much of 1934 in the colony. Having concluded a first presentation of his paintings in Mogadishu, the artist returned to the homeland, where his works were displayed in a traveling exhibition that, between 1935 and 1940, visited several Italian cities. Indeed, the joint action of several institutions, including the Istituto Coloniale Fascista (Fascist Colonial Institute), transformed the exhibition into a powerful pedagogical and propaganda tool, useful in instilling in Italians the long-desired colonial consciousness. After a general introduction, the text offers a brief profile of the artist, which is followed by a documentary reconstruction of the trips of Somalia pittoresca in the Fascist Italy. The final paragraph, on the other hand, reflects on the postwar reception of the author and his works.