Enchanted Curtains. Act I

Enchanted Curtains. Act I is an interdisciplinary exhibition of costumes, sketches and installations by Emanuele (Lele) Luzzati, created in collaboration with the Fondazione Cerratelli, the Municipality of Genoa, the Lele Luzzati Foundation and the Palazzo Ducale Foundation for Culture, with the support of the Genoa Chamber of Commerceand under the patronage of the Liguria Region, the Ligustica Academy of Fine Arts of Genoa, the University of Pisa, UNIGE-DAD and the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI).

The exhibition unfolds through a rich display of original theatrical costumes and artefacts from the Fondazione Cerratelli, associated with historic productions staged in many of Italy’s leading theatres. These are presented alongside preparatory sketches, costume designs and theatrical maquettes, allowing visitors to discover Luzzati’s extraordinary versatility across stage productions, film and book illustration. Rather than offering a comprehensive retrospective, the exhibition invites reflection on the imaginative and creative processes that shaped Luzzati’s work. The journey begins with Candide by Voltaire, explored through more than thirty engraved plates created for Luzzati’s diploma project at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne, before moving to the stage production set to the music of Leonard Bernstein at the Saint Louis Theatre.

The exhibition also features Luzzati’s original illustrations for the book published by Nuages in Milan, the miniature theatre created for the Walton Foundation on Ischia, and the many reinterpretations of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, from the celebrated Glyndebourne Opera production to the illustrated edition published in Oxford, the children’s playground in Santa Margherita Ligure and the traditional Genoese mezzaro textile produced by Giglio Bagnara Editore.

Also on display are numerous fine art editions produced through screen printing and intaglio techniques, together with the remarkable costumes designed for Rossini’s La Cenerentola at the Teatro Lirico di Genova (1978). These are accompanied by four magnificent mixed-media and collage artworks created for the book published by Quadragono Libri under the direction of Mario Vijak, which inspired the celebrated stage production Le dodici Cenerentole in cerca d’autore, directed by Pippo Crivelli and written by Rita Cirio.

A dedicated gallery presents continuous screenings of Luzzati’s animated films, theatrical productions and interviews.

The exhibition closed on 10 January 2022, welcoming 11,314 visitors over 128 days.

ColophonSipariIncantati.pdf