The Italian Cultural Institute in London has organised an exhibition at The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, displaying the work of Bice Lazzari, a pioneer of Modernism, until the 24th of April.
The exhibition, co-organised with the Archivio Bice Lazzari, features 40 works that highlight the lyrical and original interpretation that characterises the work of the Venetian artist. Born in 1900, Lazzari made her first abstract compositions in the late 1920s, inspired by an interest in applied and decorative arts. She moved to Rome in 1935, where she initially collaborated with architects and decorators on abstract designs for clients. It was not until after the Second World War that Lazzari was able to freely devote herself to painting.
Her work explores the formal aspects of painting and drawing, and her mark making was often inspired by music. Graphics, painting and decoration were inseparable elements of her highly individual artistic activity. By exploring the aesthetics of Art Informel, minimalism and hard-edged abstraction, her paintings made a significant contribution to twentieth-century Italian art yet have remained largely unknown outside her native country. An important part of her works, writings and poetry are kept at the Archivio Bice Lazzari in Rome, which was declared to be of historical significance in 1999 and placed under statutory protection.
