Varese - Varese pays tribute to photographer Giorgio Casali - - Varese News

The Museum of Contemporary and Modern Art at Masnago Castle hosts the exhibition "Giorgio Casali, Photographer. Public and Private Landscapes ." The exhibition, which opened on Saturday, September 20, and will run until March 15, 2026 , is divided into five thematic sections that retrace the key stages of Casali's artistic production, a central figure in the history of 20th-century photography.

The exhibition is organized by the Municipality of Varese in collaboration with the Archivio Progetti of the Iuav University of Venice, which preserves the photographer's archive, and is also enriched by an introductory video and some photographs published in various issues of the magazine Domus, preserved in the Civic Library of Varese.

"The city of Varese is hosting an exhibition project of national importance," Mayor Davide Galimberti emphasizes, "the result of collaboration with a leading institution like the Iuav University of Venice. This initiative demonstrates our city's commitment to promoting culture as a driver of regional growth, strengthening its networking with various organizations and institutions. This initiative will be further enhanced thanks to the new spaces of the new cultural center and the new museum complex at Villa Baragiola."

"Giorgio Casali was one of Italy's most important photographers. Throughout his long and diverse career, he focused on design and architecture, including working with local companies," explains Culture Councilor Enzo Laforgia . "His photographs documented one of Milan's most significant moments of urban transformation, working alongside leading architects engaged in the creation of buildings that have become iconic for the city itself. At a time when the city of Varese is also undergoing profound urban transformations, we felt it was interesting and appropriate to suggest a reflection on the responsibility of those who are called upon to make choices that will endure over time. Special thanks go to those who made this initiative possible and to the Project Archive of the Iuav University of Venice, which ensured the scientific accuracy of the project."

An exhibition project organized by the Municipality of Varese with the scientific coordination of Professors Rosa Chiesa, Giovanni Marras, Angelo Maggi , and the Project Archive of the Iuav University of Venice. The photographs on display were selected from the vast Giorgio Casali collection, held at the Project Archive of the Iuav University of Venice, which comprises more than 150,000 photographic plates, negatives, and prints.

Also present at the inauguration was Matteo Marchesi, Councilor for Culture for the Province of Varese, who added: "Giorgio Casali witnessed the transformation that transformed Milan and Italy in the postwar period. Varese once again demonstrates its vitality and its capacity to promote culture by hosting a national exhibition project at Masnago Castle. The Province wholeheartedly supports this initiative. I thank the Municipality of Varese, the Museum's management, and all those who made this exhibition possible, which demonstrates the importance of joining institutional forces to offer citizens and visitors opportunities for beauty and reflection."

The exhibition at Masnago Castle is divided into five sections. The Design. Domestic Landscapes section features photographs through which Casali contributed to building the visual imagery of Made in Italy, sensitively interpreting the transformation of everyday objects and Italian lifestyles during the years of modernization.

This is followed by the Portraits. Human Landscapes section, where Casali, along with his son Oreste, distinguished himself in portrait photography, with images that reveal a profound understanding of the social and cultural context, portraying figures such as Salvador Dalí, Marinella Pirelli, and Max Huber.

Two thematic focuses focus on Architecture and Reconstruction . Urban landscapes. In the first, Casali's shots interpret architectural works from Carlo Scarpa and Aldo Rossi to Bruno Morassutti—to name just a few—while in the second part, he documents the wounds of war in Milan, the post-war reconstruction, and icons of rebirth such as the Velasca Tower, by the BBPR studio, and the Pirelli Tower by Gio Ponti, symbols of Italian modernity.

The exhibition dedicates a space to Productive Landscapes , that is, to the story of the places of production and work, with images that document the productive dimension, the industrial vitality and the technological innovations of the time in the Lombardy region.

Giorgio Casali (1913-1995) was a central figure in the history of 20th-century photography, a point of reference for major Italian architects and designers. He documented the transformations of Italian design culture, driven by the enthusiasm for modernization and the emergence of new lifestyles. His long collaboration with Gio Ponti and Domus magazine established him internationally as a privileged witness to the evolution of Italian architecture, design, and society.

The exhibition is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, and Wednesdays through Sundays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. For guided tours, please write to museivarese@ cooperativasullarte.it .