Mostra Museo Permanente "Carlo Guarnieri"

The permanent Carlo Guarnieri exhibition occupies rooms in the Palazzo Pretorio, where the artist was born in Campiglia Marittima in 1892. Its collection presents the painter and woodcut artist’s work and traces his role in the revival of Italian xylography.

Why it matters

Guarnieri trained in Florence under Adolfo De Carolis, became a member of the first group formed to revive Italian xylography, and exhibited internationally. The permanent exhibition preserves the memory of an artist whose career began in Campiglia Marittima and continued across Italy and Europe.

What to notice

The museum’s presentation moves from the works to Guarnieri’s biography. His woodcuts show the influence of De Carolis, while his paintings provide a view of his work in another medium. The biographical displays cover his Florence academy years from 1906 to 1915, his invitation to the Venice International Art Exhibition in 1914, his military service and medals, and his later exhibitions and associations with artists including Sartorio, Selva, Marinetti and Arturo Martini.

Context and history

Carlo Guarnieri was born in Campiglia Marittima on 23 October 1892 and died in 1988. He studied first under Egisto Ciappacasse and then at Florence’s Regio Istituto di Belle Arti, graduating in 1915. In 1912 he exhibited at the Italian woodcut exhibition in Levanto as part of the Gruppo per la rinascita della xilografia in Italia. He had shown work in Florence in 1907 and was invited to the eleventh Venice International Art Exhibition in 1914. After the First World War he exhibited at the Roman Biennali of 1921, 1923 and 1925, moved to Turin in 1923 and later settled in Rome before returning to Tuscany after 1945. The permanent exhibition in the Palazzo Pretorio is part of the Parchi Val di Cornia museum system.