By Daniele Fenaroli (Giuseppe Iannaccone Collection)
with the support of Cloé Perrone

Artists: Antonietta Raphaël, Dominique Fung, Lenz Geerk

Opening: Saturday 23 September 2023 at 6.30 pm

23 September 2023 – 01 January 2024
Masaccio House | Corso Italia, 83 | San Giovanni Valdarno

Casa Masaccio | Center for Contemporary Art is delighted to present Orizzonti, an exhibition curated by Daniele Fenaroli (Director, Giuseppe Iannaccone Collection), with the support of Cloé Perrone. This exhibition features an exceptional selection of six paintings by Antonietta Raphaël in dialogue with new works created for the occasion by Dominique Fung and Lenz Geerk.

Simultaneously with the exhibition at the Museo delle Terre Nuove and the Museum of the Basilica of S. Maria delle Grazie, dedicated to Giovanni Mannozzi and his art, showcasing expressive freedom that challenges traditional conventions, Casa Masaccio | Center for Contemporary Art has invited two highly acclaimed young international painters. These artists will actively participate in and contribute to the artistic innovations pioneered by Antonietta Raphaël during the era of Italian painting between the two World Wars. The “Roman school,” which undoubtedly represents one of the zeniths of 20th-century art in Rome, existed for a brief period from 1927 to 1933. This era’s intensity was fuelled by the awareness of its leading figures, Mario Mafai and Gino Bonichi, better known as Scipione, about its inevitable brevity. Raphaël, from Lithuania, arrived in Rome in the spring of 1925 after a journey across Europe, first in London and then in Paris. Later, she lived in Tuscany, first in Montepulciano and then in Florence, where she stayed for nearly two years.

These historical foundations serve as the genesis of the Orizzonti exhibition project. It unfolds from a complex web of overlapping eras, artists, and authors. It commences with Raphaël, who, alongside her life companions, founded the Via Cavour School in Rome during the 1920s. “Although unconventional in its practice and devoid of manifestos and students,” as curator Daniele Fenaroli notes, “this school and the tripartite relationship it embodied served as a wellspring of inspiration.” Raphaël, characterised by a nomadic lifestyle, remains a “vital source from which to draw, a breath of radiance” for the two artists, according to Fenaroli. He underscores that the “artistic connection that blossomed among the trio was not exclusive or elitist; instead, it was a triangular relationship that captured the attention and transformed the upper floor of the Umbertine palace at Via Cavour 325 in Rome into a vibrant crucible of ideas.”

One of the narrative threads within the exhibition project intertwines with the story of Jules et Jim, friends and lovers of the same woman, Catherine, as portrayed in François Truffaut’s 1962 film, inspired by Henri-Pierre Roché’s 1953 novel of the same name. Roché, an author and dandy who waited until his seventies to publish his debut novel—an intriguing and autobiographical tale—created one of the most iconic representations of a 20th-century ménage à trois. Curator Cloé Perrone observes that “both the film and the novel explore themes of friendship, love, and complex human relationships.” She further highlights that “Roché and Truffaut, pioneers of their time, used the love triangle to challenge prevailing social norms, rejecting the bourgeois morality of their era.”

Amidst the backdrop of intricate narratives and love triangles, Orizzonti unveils a trio, uniquely separated by time and geography but united in perfect harmony within the medieval rooms of Casa Masaccio. Raphaël, a bohemian soul nurtured by the arts, both painting and music, continues to serve as a guiding thread, leading the way for the unpublished works and the radiant brilliance of Canadian artist Dominique Fung, as well as the earthy, textured creations of German artist Lenz Geerk.

Fung’s canvases, with dreamlike and ancestral amalgams, pay homage to Raphaël’s sculptures, particularly the figures of the three women, which Fung places in the foreground devoid of voyeuristic intent. Her still lifes, composed of porcelain vases and flowers with golden hues, evoke elements of surrealism while playing in harmony with the flower and vase compositions of Geerk. The latter’s muted and subtle palette invites introspection. As described by Perrone, the multifaceted works of the Canadian artist “express a profusion of feelings, identities, and individualities. Fung’s work delves into the threshold where tradition, memory, and heritage intersect with our collective consciousness, weaving into the broader history of marginalized or underrepresented female artists.”

“Dominique Fung and Lenz Geerk challenge the prevailing male narrative by portraying women in action, surrounded by their tools of trade, and rejecting stereotypes,” Perrone emphasises. Geerk, in fact, titles all the works on display as “Helen.” This choice not only references Roché’s personal history, where his lover—Helen Grund, also the wife of his close friend Franz Hessel—is named Helen but also shifts the spotlight entirely onto the female figure. Proud, commanding, and liberated, Geerk’s Helen attracts and demands attention. Similarly, in life and in art, Raphaël, “the mythic prophetess,” as Libero de Libero referred to her in 1953, commanded attention, inspiring her two fellow School members during her time and, as evidenced by this exhibition, inspiring future generations.

The trio of Orizzonti unveils a new perspective where Raphaël moves beyond the Roman School, and the protagonists redefine the conventional ménage à trois that served as their inspiration. Orizzonti aspires to challenge, disrupt, and broaden perspectives, visions, and gazes. In a tapestry woven from “vivid emotion, dreamy chromaticism, and Eastern folklore” (Fenaroli), Orizzonti tells the story of a new trio — a trio of admiration, inspiration, and artistic support rather than love.

The Orizzonti exhibition marks Dominique Fung’s debut in Europe. Fung’s upcoming project is an exhibition in London with MASSIMODECARLO in November 2023.

We thank MASSIMODECARLO gallery and the Giuseppe Iannaccone Collection for their collaboration.

ANTONIETTA RAPHAËL
Antonietta Raphael was born in Kovno, a small village near Vilnius, now the capital of Lithuania. Her father, Simon, rabbi of the local Jewish community, passed away in 1903. The family’s life became increasingly challenging, exacerbated by the growing climate of antisemitism fuelled by the czarist police. In 1905, Antonietta’s family emigrates to London where she would spend nearly two decades earning a degree in piano from the Royal Academy and providing music theory lessons. In 1924, at the age of nearly thirty, Antonietta embarked on a solitary journey with no predetermined destination. She briefly stopped in Paris for a few months before arriving in Rome. Her original intent may have been to continue her travels to Greece or Egypt. However, Rome, with its captivating Mediterranean colours, proved to be a revelation for her. Here she crossed paths with Mario Mafai, and despite the challenges they faced along the way, their connection blossomed into a lifelong companionship. The artistic partnership of Raphael and Mafai was further enriched by the presence of Scipione, leading to the establishment of what Roberto Longhi would later dub the “School of Via Cavour.”

DOMINIQUE FUNG
Dominique Fung is a Canadian artist with ancestry in Hong Kong and Shanghai, whose practice explores the subliminal liminal territory in which tradition, memory and legacy seep through our collective subconsciousness. Through her interest in casting light on overlooked or forgotten stories and her use of specific historical artifacts she infuses with living qualities and complex non-linear narrative paths, she models a new, broader, alternative space of belonging.
Her solo exhibitions include: MASSIMODECARLO, London, UK (forthcoming, 2023); A Tale of Ancestral Memories, Rockefeller Center, New York, USA (2023); Objects for Comfort in the Afterlife, Pond Society, Shanghai, China (2023); Coastal Navigation, Nicodim, Los Angeles, USA (2022); It’s Not Polite to Stare, Jeffrey Deitch, New York, USA (2021). Group exhibitions include: Orizzonti, Casa Masaccio, Arezzo, I (forthcoming, 2023); In Bloom, MASSIMODECARLO Piéce Unique, Paris, F (2022); Luncheon on the Grass, Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles, USA (2022); Women of Now: Dialogues of Identity, Memory and Place, Green Family Art Foundation, Dallas, USA (2022); My Secret Garden, Asia Art Center, Taipei, PRC (2021); Friends and Friends of Friends: Artistic Communities in the Age of Social Media, Schlossmuseum, Linz, A (2020).
Dominique Fung’s work is held in the public collections of Aishti Foundation, Beirut; Cantor Center, Stanford; East West Bank Collection, Los Angeles; Fundacíon Medianoce, Granada; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; The Huntington Library, San Marino; ICA Miami; LACMA, Los Angeles; MOCA, Los Angeles; M+ Museum, Hong Kong; Longlati Foundation, Shanghai; Pond Society, Shanghai; X Museum, Beijing;  Yuz Foundation, Shanghai.

LENZ GEERK
Lenz Geerk was born in 1988 in Basel, Switzerland; He lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany. Lenz Geerk creates psychologically charged paintings that are removed from any specific time or place. With a style well-rooted in the history of art, Geerk showcases a unique technique that is recognisably his own. The characters in his paintings are plucked from his meandering dreams, and they are emphasised in such a way as to reveal the hidden emotions of the human psyche.
Geerk, in his paintings, uses postures and gestures to express a fragile moment, not derived from any specific model or photograph but instead expressed through the atmosphere and body language. His nearly monochromatic palettes, with occasional warming hues, enhance further the aura of emotional tension in his works.
The artist’s focus on isolation sets his creatures apart from the ordinary and tired visual language of our time. Instead, he invites the viewer to experience moments of humour and tenderness through his imagination. Geerk does not protest, nor does he let go, but instead, he calls for intimacy, introversion, and pensiveness. In his paintings, Geerk captures the essence of our condition, exploring the depths of the psyche and the complexities of human emotion.

Solo exhibitions have been held at MASSIMODECARLO, Milan (2022); Roberts Projects, Los Angeles (2022; 2019; 2018); Galleria Acappella, Napoli (2018); The Cabin, Los Angeles (2018); and Galeria Mascota, Mexico City (2017). His work has been included in recent group shows at The Perimeter, London (2022); MASSIMODECARLO Pièce Unique, Paris (2022; 2021); Le Consortium, Dijon (2022); MASSIMODECARLO, Milano (2021); GRIMM, Amsterdam (2021); Spruth Magers OVR (2021); Almine Rech, New York (2021); Hussenot Galerie, Paris (2021); Carl Freedman Gallery, Margate (2021); Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, New York (2020); and Maximillian William, London (2019). Lenz Geerk’s work is held in the public collections of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA; The Kunsthaus Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Kistefos Museum, Oslo, Norway; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL, USA; Comico Art Museum, Oita, Japan; XIAO Museum, Shandong, China; Up Next Art, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico; The Arts Club Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; ICD Brookfield Place, DIFC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; X Museum, Shanghai, China.

Free entry
Opening times: Monday closed
Tuesday – Friday 03PM – 07PM
Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10AM – 01PM; 03PM – 07PM