Rome Journal: The Future of Italian Futurism

photograph: Hallie Cohen

The obelisk at the front of Stadio Olimpico begs the question of provenance. It’s disconcerting to read the words “Mussolini,” but is the millenarian futurism exuded by both iterations of the project (it was originally built in l937 and called the Stadio Cipressi and expanded for the l960 olympics) a product of fascism or a deeper futuristic proclivity deriving from the monumental and classical aspiration in Italian architecture and design? Marinetti, who wrote the “Manifesto of Futurism” was a fascist and the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana in the EUR is held up as an example of Mussolini architecture. However, the arches that deck the façade of the building also pay homage to the Greek and Roman world. "Italian Futurism 1909-1944: Reconstructing the Universe was the title of a 2014 exhibition at the Guggenheim. "Chaos and Classicism: Art in Italy, France and Germany" was the title of a 2011 show also at the Guggenheim, dealing with the nostalgia for idealized forms which characterized the art and architecture of the fascist period. 

read "Rome Journal: the EUR" by Francis Levy, HuffPost

and listen to "Tristan and Isolde, Prelude"by Richard Wagner