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march 13, 2018 - Musei Civici di Modena

PASINI AND THE ORIENT. Lights and colors of distant lands


The orient of fascination and mystery, of boundless landscapes and odalisque, of provocative ruins, distant lands, of wonders and exotic indulgence. When the first translation of Arabian Nights spread to Europe at the beginning of the eighteenth century, a new wave of pleasure was born which would soon become the authentic mania for everything from Turkey, Persia and Egypt, and which will be seen in #albertopasini, painter and traveler, one of its most refined interpreters. Works of Pasini are stories which contains other stories, paintings as travel journals, imaginative horizons where the observer can abandon himself. The Magnani-Rocca Foundation is dedicating its spring exhibition "PASINI AND THE ORIENT. Lights and colors of distant lands" to Pasini, with over 100 pieces including paintings and graphic works. Curated by Paolo Serafini and Stefano Roffi, in Mamiano di Traversetolo, in #parma, March 17 - July 1, 2018.


Pasini’s paintings distance themselves from that of all the other nineteenth century interpretations of the Orient because they do not present the typical impression of the Orient that the Western public expected and required, but instead create new images, opening an artistic dialogue with the other culture, presenting its contents, customs, and atmosphere "from within". A pictorial model and artistic dialogue that is unique, and which still continues to grow in value and meaning thanks to the importance of its theme.

His paintings of the oriental atmosphere, exhibited with a perspective and interpretation that has never before been presented to the public, begins with an #event that marks his entire artistic career: shortly after his arrival in Paris, in 1855, Pasini was called upon to become part of a delicate diplomatic mission in France, in charge of coming to terms with the Shah of Persia, and removing him from Russian influence. This was one of the most adventurous diplomatic missions of the nineteenth century, which was forced to travel through the Arabian Peninsula to reach Tehran during the Russian-Turkish conflict, with the aim of keeping a dialogue open between Europe and the Middle East through the tools of culture and diplomacy. This extraordinary story serves as the opening for the exhibition and will present, all together for the first time, the drawings, lithographs, and paintings made by Pasini during the mission.

We would have no documentation of this historical journey were it not for the memoirs of Count Joseph Gobineau, the secretary who accompanied the Minister Prosper Bourée along with other officials and dragomans, and especially if not for the paintings, drawings, and lithographs of the painter commissioned by the Minister to accompany and document the mission: #albertopasini.

This exhibition presents the complete series of 40 drawings made in Persia, the full set of twelve engravings published in "l’Illustration, Journal Universel", and accompanied by articles by Barbier de Meynard and Paulin; and the large paintings, which are among the very few examples of oversized works created by the artist.

Upon his return to Paris in June 1856, following the end of the war, #albertopasini began to rework his drawings and sketches from the journey and presented them in later years at the parisian Salon as a series of large paintings, which constituted one of the reference models for the whole of oriental painting in the years to follow. In fact, in the mid- nineteenth century, a new type of political, economic, cultural, and social relations was born and a European Center of culture and artistic production was developed in Paris with a focus on the Orient, which nurtured a new taste for the collection of the foreign and exotic, especially thanks to the work of the largest parisian merchant of that time, Adolphe Goupil, with whom Pasini established an exclusive contract, selling more than 300 of his works.

The exhibition then continues with a second section, dedicated to the works from Istanbul, which was the main subject depicted by the artist in the following years, and which Pasini portrayed in dozens of variants and perspectives, from the grand view of the Yeni Djami Mosque, which Goupil sold to the Museum of Nantes in 1872, to the variety and noise of the crowded market scenes, of which he made more than 30 versions over the years, all different and each with a unique atmosphere.

The next section is dedicated to the scenes depicting customs of the Orient, with which Pasini grew familiar thanks to the appreciation of the Shah of Persia, who took him game hawking several times. This section contains some oil works, accompanied by engravings from Goupil (all currently part of the collection at the Goupil Museum in Bordeaux), which spread the model of composition and atmosphere proposed by Pasini throughout Europe and America. A final section is dedicated to atmosphere and landscape paintings, which, thanks to its new interpretation, resulted in many other artists creating similar works over the following decades.


The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog in Italian with essays by Paolo Serafini, Stefano Roffi, Léa Saint-Raymond, Cyrille Sciama, Guendalina Patrizi, illustrations of all the works on display, and plaques with the artistic history and bibliographic reference of each work.


PASINI AND THE ORIENT. Lights and colors of distant lands

Magnani-Rocca Foundation, via Fondazione Magnani Rocca 4, Mamiano di Traversetolo (Parma) Italy.

March 17 – July 1, 2018. Sunday and National Holidays open. Opening Times: from Tuesday to Friday open all day

from 10 to 18 – Saturday, Sunday and Holidays continuous hours from 10 to 19. The ticket office is open until 1 hour

before museum closing. Close every Monday, except for Easter Monday.

Admission Prices: € 10,00, for visiting both temporary and permanent collection - € 5,00 school groups.

Info and Group visits booking: tel. 0521 848327 / 848148 Fax 0521 848337  info@magnanirocca.it  www.magnanirocca.it

Guided tour in italian every Saturday at 16.30 and every Sunday at 11.30, 16.00, 17.00; advanced booking is recommended, € 15,00 per person

(entrance and tour). Restaurant in the inner court yard of the museum tel. 0521 848135

Exhibition and catalogue (Silvana Editoriale) curated by Paolo Serafini and Stefano Roffi. Catalogue contains essays written by

Paolo Serafini, Stefano Roffi, Léa Saint-Raymond, Cyrille Sciama, Guendalina Patrizi.


The exhibition is realized thanks to: Fondazione Cariparma, Cariparma Crédit Agricole.

Media Partners : Gazzetta di Parma

In collaboration with  XL Catlin, world leaders in the insurance of artworks  and AON S.p.A.

Technical Sponsors: Angeli Cornici, Butterfly Transport, Fattorie Canossa, Società per la Mobilità e il Trasporto Pubblico.

PASINI AND THE ORIENT. Lights and colors of distant lands

Magnani-Rocca Foundation

Mamiano di Traversetolo - Parma

March 17 – July 1, 2018