(Rome 1926–2009)
“Lettere o Alfabeti”, 1972, variazioni 2004, signed on the reverse: Schermo in balsa “Lettere o Alfabeti” 1972 variazioni 2004 Fabio Mauri, TNT fabric, wood, varnish, iron, 71 x 43 x 5 cm, (MCC)

Photo certificate:
Studio Fabio Mauri, Rome, archive no. 125

Provenance:
Atelier of the artist, gift to the non-profit association Fondazione CittàItalia, Rome, acquired there during the benefit auction held in Rome on 28 September 2006 by the present owner
Private Collection, Italy

Exhibited:
Rome, L’Arte di amare l’arte, 30 Artisti a sostegno della Fondazione CittàItalia, Palazzo Corsini, September 2006

Fabio Mauri is one of the masters of Italy’s avant-garde.
He was an eclectic artist with an interest in theatre, cinema and literature, who for twenty years taught Experimentation Aesthetics at the Academy of Arts in L’Aquila, Italy.
He co-founded the literary magazine “Il Setaccio“ with Pasolini in 1942 and the cultural magazine “Quindici“ with Umberto Eco, Edoardo Sanguineti and Angelo Guglielmi in 1967. These were followed by the magazine of art criticism entitled “La Città di Riga“, which he co-founded with Alberto Boatto, Jannis Kounellis, Maurizio Calvesi and Umberto Silva in 1976. Mauri’s first solo exhibition at Galleria Aureliana in Rome in 1955 was presented by his friend, Pier Paolo Pasolini.
At the close of 1957, the artist created his first “Schermi“ (“Screens“) as his own version of monochromatic works, pursuing a “zeroing“ of the sign that also characterised all of the most advanced artists at that time. Mauri’s monochromatic works also already foreshadowed his discourse on film. The screen was the new, real “symbolic form“ of the world and Mauri understood this circumstance clearly and immediately.
The object clearly indicates television and cinema, the signs of our multimedia society. With his screens, Mauri goes beyond any ideological confession. Unlike the industry of images, his screens are empty and white (1957–1960), representing the space for any possible projection, in which the words “The end“ never vanish. The screen is regarded as a tangible form of memory and conscience, on which projections evoke interpretations of reality: each projection implies an individual plot, an incomplete awareness of reality, the adoption of new elements from the world. Memory precedes perception, hence when a person looks they actually project their memories onto reality, whilst also modifying their interior images through a comparison with reality. The representation of man-world/screen-projector generates an understanding of individual destiny and its interlocutors, or temporal contradictors, namely politics, culture and hazard (...). Mauri’s approach represents the opposite of the invasive visual market of the new millennium, which also constitutes a very significant feature: an obsessive, thorough analysis that is verified by experience.
The step from painting to action is inevitable. The idea reaches beyond the boundaries of the canvas through the actions of a past that has yet to be digested and remains forever intolerable. This constitutes the basis of the performances from the 1970s, such as “Che cos’è il fascismo“ (“What is Fascism“) (at Stabilimenti Safa Platino in Roma, 1971), “Ebrea“ (“Jewess“) and “Gran Serata Futurista 1909–1939“ (“A Futurist Grand Soirée 1909–1939“).
His cinema debut took place in Bologna in 1975. “Intellettuale – Il Vangelo secondo Matteo di/su Pier Paolo Pasolini“ (“Intellectual ¬– The Gospel According to St. Matthew by/on Pier Paolo Pasolini“), was performed for the first time on the occasion of the opening of the new Galleria Comunale d’Arte Moderna. The action took place on the short external staircase leading to the gallery, whilst the exhibition, which was curated by Franco Solmi and focused on the Dada movement, was displayed inside the museum.
Mauri placed Pasolini on a raised chair in front of the door. The poet was transformed into a “human screen“. His film, “The Gospel According to St. Matthew“, was projected onto him. The volume of the soundtrack, which was disproportionally high compared to the small dimensions of the images, exacerbated the feeling of disorientation caused by the action both in the audience and Pasolini himself. Fifteen photographs by Antonio Masotti documented the action and became known all over the world.

Dora Aceto, Studio Fabio Mauri, Rome