A detail from a painting by Giorgio Morandi, titled Natura morta (Still Life), dated 1953.
Giorgio Morandi
A detail from a portrait of Giorgio Morandi in his studio, dated 1955.

Giorgio Morandi, 1955 (detail). Photo by Leo Lionni. © 1955 Leo Lionni. Courtesy the Lionni family

Giorgio Morandi, 1955 (detail). Photo by Leo Lionni. © 1955 Leo Lionni. Courtesy the Lionni family

Among the most influential Italian artists of the twentieth century, Giorgio Morandi (1890–1964) is celebrated for his still life arrangements of everyday objects. Natura morta (Still Life) demonstrates how Morandi’s commitment to a given compositional motif became increasingly nuanced and abstract. As he observed, “Nothing is more abstract than reality.”

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A painting by Giorgio Morandi, titled Natura morta (Still Life), dated 1953.

Giorgio Morandi

Natura morta (Still life), 1953
Oil on canvas
11 7/8 x 13 3/4 inches
30 x 35 cm

“One can travel this world and see nothing. To achieve understanding it is necessary not to see many things, but to look hard at what you do see. —⁠⁠Giorgio Morandi

This painting, which features on the cover of Lamberto Vitali’s catalogue raisonné of Morandi’s work, has been included in a number of important exhibitions of the artist’s work, including retrospectives at the Haus der Kunst, Munich; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid; and the IVAM, Centre Julio González, Valencia, among other institutions.
A photo of the slipcover of Lamberto Vitali’s catalogue raisonné of Giorgio Morandi's work, featuring a detail from a painting titled Natura morta (Still Life), dated 1953.

Lamberto Vitali, Morandi: Dipinti Catalogo Generale, (Milan: Electa) 1994

Lamberto Vitali, Morandi: Dipinti Catalogo Generale, (Milan: Electa) 1994

A photo of bottles and other objects in Giorgio Morandi's studio, dated c. 1946–62.

Sanford Roth, Giorgio Morandi, c. 1946–1962. LA County Museum of Art, Beulah Roth Bequest. © Museum Associates/LACMA

Sanford Roth, Giorgio Morandi, c. 1946–1962. LA County Museum of Art, Beulah Roth Bequest. © Museum Associates/LACMA


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