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- Frida Kahlo among the portraits of Mr. Savethewall at his exhibition ELOGIA MMXXV, in Lugano, CH
Frida Kahlo among the portraits of Mr. Savethewall at his exhibition ELOGIA MMXXV, in Lugano, CH
01 July 2025
The Italian artist Mr. Savethewall (artistic name of Pierpaolo Perretta) uses spray paint and stencils, a common method of street art reimagined on canvas, to create 38 portraits of modern and contemporary artists as well as a self-portrait.
The project title, ELOGIA MMXXV, is an explicit reference to Paolo Giovio's "Elogia di uomini illustri" (Praising of Illustrious Men), which was written in Latin between 1546 and 1551. Giovio was a great humanist who is well-known for his collection of more than 400 portraits of philosophers, authors, artists, and influential people from his villa on Lake Como. By creating a personal gallery of artist portraits in 2025, Pierpaolo Perretta intends to honor the 38 portraits in the Giovio art gallery that are kept in the Civic Museums of Como. These portraits were selected for their unique significance in the formation of his own artistic identity.
Artists like Alighiero Boetti, Amedeo Modigliani, Lucio Fontana, Frida Kahlo, and Niki de Saint-Phalle, to mention just five, are depicted as black silhouettes on canvas in these portraits. The inclusion of recognizable graphic or figurative elements from their work attests to their identity while evoking other potential meanings.
Frida's portrait is called "Elogio a Kahlo." The picture shows a black silhouette of a woman on a green background with a blue floral design. The figure's head is adorned with a striking wreath of pink and red flowers, and the composition's iconic appearance is further enhanced by a single hanging earring. The floral crown is a crucial component of visual identification with Frida Kahlo, whose public persona is closely associated with this ornament. The repetitive yet stylized background of plants evokes the symbolic and natural setting that the Mexican artist frequently used for her self-portraits.
MUSEC Lugano
5 June – 19 October 2025
Villa Malpensata, Spazio Cielo
Logistics at the musuem website below
