"Portraits
from Life: Personages of art and culture of the 20th Century"
Palazzo delle Stelline, Milan, 2002
The collection of portraits "Personages of the 20th century," sculpted
by Ernesto Ornati exclusively from life, constitutes a unique corpus
in contemporary art and culture. Begun in 1964 and in continuous
expansion, the collection includes numerous polychrome terracotta and
bronze portraits.
The exhibit "Portraits from Life: Personages of art and
culture of the 20th Century" which was held in the fall of
2002 at the Palazzo delle Stelline, Milan, under the auspices
of the Region of Lombardy, the Province of Lombardy and the City of
Milan, featured an impressive collection of sculpture "heads," portraits
of major artists, poets and writers who have posed live for Ornati throughout
his long career.
In future international travelling editions of this exhibit, Ornati's
portraits will be accompanied with an original work by the artist portrayed,
whether that be a painting, poem, or sculpture. Thus, the tangible relationship
that exists between the artwork of each artist and his personal character,
as represented so incisively in each of Ornati's portraits, will be
readily evident.
Portraits featured in the Stelline exhibit:
Carlo Carra', 1964 - Remo Rossi, 1965 - Hans Richter, 1965
Alvar Aalto, 1966 - Ennio Morlotti, 1966 - Piero Chiara, 1966
Virgilio Guidi, 1967 - Ezra Pound, 1967 - Graham Sutherland, 1967
Giovanni Testori, 1970 - John Cheever, 1979 - Enzo Fabiani, 1981
Roberto Tassi, 1981 - Giancarlo Sangregorio, 1989 - Giancarlo Ossola,
1989
Luiso Sturla, 1989 - Enrico Della Torre, 1990 - Agostino Pisani, 1990
Federica Galli,1990 - Valentino Vago,1990 - Wanda Broggi, 1990
Graziella Marchi, 1990 - Floriano Bodini, 1990 - Alik Cavaliere, 1990
Emilio Tadini, 1990 - Giuseppe Banchieri, 1991 - Gianfranco Ferroni,
1993
Giancarlo Vitali, 1995 - Augusto Perez, 1995 - Marcello Morandini, 1996
Carlos Jose' Fernandez, 1998 - Rossana Bossaglia, 1998
Giuseppe Zigaina, 1999 - Ernesto
Ornati, 2000 (self-portrait).
View a selection of portraits 