Bratislava hosts an exhibition narrating food through images published on magazines, leaflets, ads, postcards, calendars and gadgets. The event, organized by the Italian Cultural Institute in Bratislava in cooperation with the Italian Embassy in the Slovak Republic, is curated by Andrea Tomasetig, an antiquarian bookseller in Milan.
The exhibition features some historical food-themed covers from the weekly magazine “Domenica del Corriere”, created by Achille Beltrame and Walter Molino over a 50-year period ( 1098-1958), along with a selection of historical advertising materials entirely dedicated to Italian pasta, the crown jewel of the Italian diet now exported and highly appreciated the world over. The display, which paves the way for the 4th edition of Italian Cuisine Week, is one of the top events of the 19th Week of the Italian Language in the World organized by the Italian Cultural Institute in Bratislava.
The materials on display are all original and belong to the Michele Rapisarda collection, which puts together approximately 14,000 printed picture postcards used daily between the 17th and 20th centuries, largely dedicated to food. They tell the story of food and our traditions and customs through a rare, little-known iconographic inventory. The exhibition is a visual journey across twelve stories that talk about flavours, the love of cooking, customs and traditions, communicating, and food products, now known the world over and no longer confined to their places of origin. It is a unique and unprecedented exhibition that arouses old memories and makes its way into everyday life through numerous curios items while highlighting food-related advertising illustrations by renowned masters like Leonetto Cappiello and Antonio Rubino and less-known artists deserving to be rediscovered. After Bratislava, the exhibition will travel to Sesto San Giovanni (Milan) where it will run from 21 November to 27 November for the “Far da Mangiare” Cooking Festival.
