Richard Saltoun is pleased to present the work of Franca Maranò (Bari, Italy, 1920–2015), a key figure of the Italian artistic movement of the 1960s and 70s. Deeply anti-conformist, instead of moving to the big cities to find success, Maranò chose to remain in southern Italy to foster its artistic scene and challenge its patriarchal structures. In 1970, she founded the first avant-garde gallery in Bari, Galleria Centrosei, to support local artists and peers like Tomaso Binga and Maria Lai.
Throughout her career, Maranò felt the need “to work outside the codes of the already done”, and away from the conventions of traditional painting. To do so, she turned to new mediums, including textiles and ceramics (at the time ceramics were limited to male artists like Fausto Melotti and Lucio Fontana), out of the need for a creative freedom that would express what otherwise would be lost.
Our stand will present a selection of glazed ceramics from the 60s – including two large-scale wall-mounted panels echoing the artist’s vast commissions for public institutions – alongside two textiles from the 70s made with medieval canvas and red and black wool threads, and a selection of abstract oil paintings.
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