Mimmo Paladino: Quijote

On the inauguration of the new exhibition area of the Museum of Capodimonte, for the presentation of shows and other cultural events, and on the 400th anniversary of the publication of “El Quijote de la Mancha” by Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra, the President of the Regional Council of Campania, Antonio Bassolino, and the Superintendent for the Museums of Naples, Nicola Spinosa, have invited Mimmo Paladino to interpret the eternal modernity of Don Quijote. The artist offers an unusual and very personal view of the ingenious hidalgo. Don Quijote is much more than the protagonist of a story: he is the story itself.

An exhibition Quijote is the name of the exhibition created by Paladino to recount the story of Cervantes’ popular hero - anti-hero. A large installation, fifteen bronzes and paintings, forty watercolours, an artist’s book for a surprising journey in Don Quijote’s imaginary world. The works by Paladino are a trip in the universe of the “sad knight”, so far away in the story of his adventures and his fantastic battles against the windmills, but also so close, in his emotional and sentimental reactions, to modern day.

A film Paladino, as director, continues the story of “his” Quijote also on the big screen, with an outstanding cast: the pop singers Peppe Servillo, from Avion Travel, and Lucio Dalla are Don Quijote and Sancho Panza, the artist Enzo Cucchi is Merlin the Wizard, the actor Alessandro Bergonzoni is Wizard Festone and Ginestra Paladino is Dulcinea.

A book Paladino is also the author of the pictures for a precious artist’s book entitled “Don Quijote”, published by Editalia (Gruppo Istituto Poligrafico-Zecca dello Stato). The pictures by the artist interface with the lines by the poet Giuseppe Conte narrating “the legendary Mediterranean hero “.

On this occasion Editalia is also presenting an exquisite edition of Don Quijote by Cervantes in Alfredo Giannini’s classic Italian translation accompanied by 150 reproductions of watercolours through which Paladino offers his own interpretation, not to illustrate the story, but “playing” with the book, the author, the characters.

A phantasmagorical game of reflecting mirrors that makes this project even more fascinating and intriguing. A great artist, a universal story and an incomparable city for a unique “Quijote”.

Mimmo Paladino’s art originates in the seventies, when the artist took his first steps in a figurative world full of symbolic elements. Over the years Paladino has created surprising linguistic routes: presenting his own interior world, primordial and magical, moving from drawing to painting, from sculpture to mosaics, from engraving to film. Between the late seventies and the early eighties he reveals a renewed interest for the human figure and from 1985 onwards he creates large bronze sculptures and installations.

In 1995 Paladino is the protagonist of a great art event at Piazza Plebiscito, Naples, with his Salt Mountain: chromatic vibrations, vast arrays of colour, sculptural installations, animal and human forms. Neapolitans still remember his fallen horses in the salt. Testimony of that great event is “Vasca”, today conserved in the collection of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Capodimonte.

A special show, devoted to “Quijote” will take place on Friday, December 16th, at 19.00, in Castel Sant’Elmo, Naples The show will include: - Presentation of the artist’s book “Don Quijote” by Mimmo Paladino - Projection of the film “Quijote” by Mimmo Paladino - “On the path of Don Quijote”, by Mimmo Cuticchio, music composed and performed by Lucio Dalla - To conclude the evening Lucio Dalla and Anton Berovski with “I picari” The renowned Italian pop singer Lucio Dalla supplies musical accompaniment to Mimmo Cuticchio, heir to the tradition of pupeteers and great story-tellers of the past, who in a “cunto” pays homage to the Mediterranean spirit of Don Quijote.

The new exhibition area of the Museum of Capodimonte has been realized with funds from Region Campania, co-financed by the European Union-European Fund for Regional Development, PIT funds, in the ambit of P.O.R. Campania 2000-2006 and the contribution of the Ministry fo Cultural Heritage and Activities.

The Quijote exhibition is realized by Regione Campania and the Soprintendenza Speciale for the Museums of Naples, with the support of the Office of Tourism and Culture of the Regione Campania. The Province of Naples, the Town Council of Naples, the PAN Palazzo delle Arti of Naples and the Cervantes Institute have also contributed.

The catalogue of the exhibition is published by Electa Napoli.

The film “Quijote” is produced by Ananas s.r.l. and by Regione Campania, with the contribution of the Province of Benevento and of FCRC Film Commission, Regione Campania.

The theatrical and musical show is by Editalia (Gruppo Istituto Poligrafico – Zecca dello Stato) with the participation of Mimmo Cuticchio, Lucio Dalla and Marco Alemanno for the presentation of the book “Don Quijote” by Mimmo Paladino and Giuseppe Conte, published by the Group.

Pressetext

Mimmo Paladino: Quijote
an exhibition, a film, a book