Saul Steinberg in Milan

An exhibition on view at Politecnico di Milano celebrates the American sketcher Saul Steinberg presenting his work in Milan, as well as a few fragments of his work.

. Steinberg at his drawing table in his room above the Bar Il Grillo. Milan, 1930s.  Saul Steinberg Papers, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. © The Saul Steinberg Foundation/ARS, NY
The exhibition at Politecnico di Milano – in collaboration with Domus, Teche RAI, Archivio di Giovannino Guareschi–Roncole Verdi and Triennale di Milano – present Saul Steinberg’s work in Milan, as well as drawings focused on the urban environment, architecture, and daily life.
Saul Steinberg, known worldwide for the art he published in The New Yorker magazine, was a prolific producer of drawings, sculpture, collages, and murals. He was also a sharp observer of urban landscapes and life.
Saul Steiberg, <i>Milano - My room - Bar del Grillo</i>, 1937.  Ink on paper, 22.7 x 28.9 cm. Saul Steinberg Papers, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. © The Saul Steinberg Foundation/ARS, NY
Saul Steiberg, Milano – My room – Bar del Grillo, 1937. Ink on paper, 22.7 x 28.9 cm. Saul Steinberg Papers, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. © The Saul Steinberg Foundation/ARS, NY

Born in Romania, he developed a deep rapport with Italy (and Milan in particular) when he began his studies at the Politecnico. He made many friends, but the most long-lasting and significant friendship was the one with Aldo Buzzi. After the racial laws were promulgated in 1938, in 1941 Steinberg was briefly imprisoned in the S. Vittore jail and later in an internment camp in Tortoreto. Later that same year, he fled to Lisbon on his way to Santo Domingo and eventually to the United States.

He returned to Italy as a soldier and US citizen in 1944, working with the Office of Strategic Services. After the war he worked with the BBPR studio and Ernesto N. Rogers. His drawings were published in Domus magazine. In Milan he produced a sgraffito mural for the walls of the “Children’s Labyrinth” at the X Triennale (1954) and another sgraffito mural for Casa Mayer in via Bigli (1961), which was unfortunately destroyed.

Saul Steiberg, <i>Milano Venezia</i>, 1982. Mixed media on board, 53.3 x 40.6 x 7.6 cm. Private collection. © The Saul Steinberg Foundation/ARS, NY
Saul Steiberg, Milano Venezia, 1982. Mixed media on board, 53.3 x 40.6 x 7.6 cm. Private collection. © The Saul Steinberg Foundation/ARS, NY
The exhibition – divided into six sections – includes original documents, photographs and magazines from the Historical Archives of the Politecnico di Milano, from the Domus magazine archives and private collections, in addition to reproductions of works of art and drawings, mainly from the The Saul Steinberg Foundation in New York, the Giovannino Guareschi Archive and other archives. To complete the exhibition, visitors can enjoy Saul Steinberg: l’essenza totemica, a 1967 television interview conducted in New York by Sergio Zavoli for the RAI program series “Incontri” (meetings).
The exhibition will open on May 18, 2015 in the Spazio Mostre Guido Nardi (Gamma Hall); on May 20, at 5.30 pm there will be a colloquium with remarks by Vittorio Gregotti, Italo Lupi, Tullio Pericoli, Mario Tedeschini Lalli, Sheila Schwartz, Nicola Di Battista, Federico Bucci, Ilaria Valente.

May 18–29, 2015
opening May 20, h.5.30 pm
Saul Steinberg a Milano
Curated by Ilaria Valente, Luigi Spinelli, Cassandra Cozza
Scientific Commitee: Ilaria Valente, Federico Bucci, Sheila Schwartz, Giangiacomo D’Ardia, Mario Tedeschini Lalli
Coordination, graphic design and set up by Cassandra Cozza with Gerardo Semprebon, in collaboration with Francesca Berni, Giorgia Colombo, Valerio Maria Sorgini, Greta Maria Taronna
In collaboration with Domus, Teche RAI, Archivio di Giovannino Guareschi – Roncole Verdi, Triennale di Milano
Technical sponsor Unifor
Politecnico di Milano
Spazio Mostre Guido Nardi
via Ampère 2, Milano

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