The Reception of Italian Futurism in Vienna during the 1920s and 1930s
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Arturo Larcati
Abstract
Futurism arrived in Austria in 1912, when an exhibition that had previously been shown in Paris, London and other European cities, reached Vienna. This event gave rise to the Kineticism movement, which reached its peak around 1924 and integrated Cubism, Expressionism and Futurism. The next phase in the encounter with the Italian avant-garde occurred in 1924, when the International Exhibition of New Theatre Technology was held at the Konzerthaus, which included a large Futurist section curated by Enrico Prampolini. Marinetti used the occasion to visit Vienna, engaged in several controversial debates and explained his concept of ‘global Futurism’. A third wave occurred in the 1930s, culminating in the Aeropainting exhibition in 1935, previously shown in Hamburg and Berlin. In contrast to Nazi Germany, where all Modernist schools were officially condemned as ‘degenerate art’, the Viennese public was much more open to Futurism’s innovations and compared its achievements to those of the Bauhaus. Additionally, Prampolini was considered to be a painter and stage designer of great genius, and the movement’s recent turn towards arte sacra was greeted with great sympathy. This ‘productive appropriation of tradition’ could also be observed in the last Futurist exhibition, organized by Arturo Ciacelli in 1937.
Abstract
Futurism arrived in Austria in 1912, when an exhibition that had previously been shown in Paris, London and other European cities, reached Vienna. This event gave rise to the Kineticism movement, which reached its peak around 1924 and integrated Cubism, Expressionism and Futurism. The next phase in the encounter with the Italian avant-garde occurred in 1924, when the International Exhibition of New Theatre Technology was held at the Konzerthaus, which included a large Futurist section curated by Enrico Prampolini. Marinetti used the occasion to visit Vienna, engaged in several controversial debates and explained his concept of ‘global Futurism’. A third wave occurred in the 1930s, culminating in the Aeropainting exhibition in 1935, previously shown in Hamburg and Berlin. In contrast to Nazi Germany, where all Modernist schools were officially condemned as ‘degenerate art’, the Viennese public was much more open to Futurism’s innovations and compared its achievements to those of the Bauhaus. Additionally, Prampolini was considered to be a painter and stage designer of great genius, and the movement’s recent turn towards arte sacra was greeted with great sympathy. This ‘productive appropriation of tradition’ could also be observed in the last Futurist exhibition, organized by Arturo Ciacelli in 1937.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Editorial IX
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Section 1: Futurism Studies
- The Futurist Manifestos of 1909: Dates and Editions Reconsidered 3
- Margherita Sarfatti, Novecento and Futurism 35
- Network Diagrams in Futurist and other Avant-garde Magazines: The Creation and Self-Positioning of an Imaginary Community 68
- The Reception of Italian Futurism in Vienna during the 1920s and 1930s 95
- Carlos Porfírio and Futurism in the Algarve: An Early Chapter in the History of Portuguese Modernism 120
- Tullio d’Albisola between Futurism and Fascism 149
- The Georgian Avant-garde: Futurism and More 172
- Futurism and the Birth of Modern Typography 200
- Tato and Exhibitions of Futurist Photography in the 1930s 216
- In Search of Lost Scents: The Olfactory Dimension of Italian Futurism 247
- Satirizing Futurism in France: Roland Dorgelès, André Warnod and their Circle 276
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Section 2: Caricatures and Satires of Futurism in the Contemporary Press
- At a Sándor Bortnyik Exhibition in Budapest (June 1919): A Hungarian Critic’s Interpretation of ‘Futurism’ 309
- Ragnvald Blix’s Caricature of Futurist Painting in the Midst of WWI 315
- French Humour and Futurist Music: Luigi Russolo’s intonarumori in a Cartoon by Jean-Jacques Roussau 319
- Caricatures of Futurism in Il travaso delle idee 324
- Macaronetti, Marie Netti, and the Like: Parodies of Futurism at the Great Zwans Exhibition in Brussels (1914) 328
- Returning to the Futurist Fold: A Caricature in Bloodless Murder Magazine (1916) 332
- Marinetti Viewed by Antonio Teixeira Cabral, a Portuguese “Caricature-on-the-scene reporter” 336
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Section 3: Archive Report
- Archive Report: The Archiv der Avantgarden (AdA) in Dresden 341
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Section 4: Reviews
- A New Study on Italian Futurism and the Machine 359
- New Research into Marinetti’s Notebooks 368
- Evola’s Path from Futurism to Dada and Beyond 379
- Valentine de Saint-Point: Between Carnality and Ideism, Between East and West 383
- Contours and Borders of International Futurism 392
- Růžena Zátková’s Life and Works Elucidated in a New Study 397
- Ukrainian Modernism between Futurism and Constructivism, between Russia and the West 404
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Section 5: Bibliography
- A Bibliography of Publications on Futurism, 2017–2020 411
-
Section 6: Back Matter
- List of Illustrations and Provenance Descriptions 431
- Notes on Contributors 439
- Name Index 449
- Subject Index 481
- Geographical Index 511
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Editorial IX
-
Section 1: Futurism Studies
- The Futurist Manifestos of 1909: Dates and Editions Reconsidered 3
- Margherita Sarfatti, Novecento and Futurism 35
- Network Diagrams in Futurist and other Avant-garde Magazines: The Creation and Self-Positioning of an Imaginary Community 68
- The Reception of Italian Futurism in Vienna during the 1920s and 1930s 95
- Carlos Porfírio and Futurism in the Algarve: An Early Chapter in the History of Portuguese Modernism 120
- Tullio d’Albisola between Futurism and Fascism 149
- The Georgian Avant-garde: Futurism and More 172
- Futurism and the Birth of Modern Typography 200
- Tato and Exhibitions of Futurist Photography in the 1930s 216
- In Search of Lost Scents: The Olfactory Dimension of Italian Futurism 247
- Satirizing Futurism in France: Roland Dorgelès, André Warnod and their Circle 276
-
Section 2: Caricatures and Satires of Futurism in the Contemporary Press
- At a Sándor Bortnyik Exhibition in Budapest (June 1919): A Hungarian Critic’s Interpretation of ‘Futurism’ 309
- Ragnvald Blix’s Caricature of Futurist Painting in the Midst of WWI 315
- French Humour and Futurist Music: Luigi Russolo’s intonarumori in a Cartoon by Jean-Jacques Roussau 319
- Caricatures of Futurism in Il travaso delle idee 324
- Macaronetti, Marie Netti, and the Like: Parodies of Futurism at the Great Zwans Exhibition in Brussels (1914) 328
- Returning to the Futurist Fold: A Caricature in Bloodless Murder Magazine (1916) 332
- Marinetti Viewed by Antonio Teixeira Cabral, a Portuguese “Caricature-on-the-scene reporter” 336
-
Section 3: Archive Report
- Archive Report: The Archiv der Avantgarden (AdA) in Dresden 341
-
Section 4: Reviews
- A New Study on Italian Futurism and the Machine 359
- New Research into Marinetti’s Notebooks 368
- Evola’s Path from Futurism to Dada and Beyond 379
- Valentine de Saint-Point: Between Carnality and Ideism, Between East and West 383
- Contours and Borders of International Futurism 392
- Růžena Zátková’s Life and Works Elucidated in a New Study 397
- Ukrainian Modernism between Futurism and Constructivism, between Russia and the West 404
-
Section 5: Bibliography
- A Bibliography of Publications on Futurism, 2017–2020 411
-
Section 6: Back Matter
- List of Illustrations and Provenance Descriptions 431
- Notes on Contributors 439
- Name Index 449
- Subject Index 481
- Geographical Index 511
