A native of Bitonto, Puglia, who fell into the orbit of the post-Macchiaoli movement, Gaetano Spinelli developed a special relationship with the island after arriving in Sassari as a teacher at the Technical Institute. On Wednesday at 7:00 PM, the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Sassari opens the first Sardinian exhibition dedicated to the artist, entitled "In the Shadow of Sardinia. Works by Gaetano Spinelli."
The exhibition features around twenty works (on loan from private collectors), many of which depict Sardinian subjects, created between 1904 and the 1930s. The exhibition also features portraits of family members and close friends, along with period documents and photographs, which help reconstruct the artist's personal and artistic context.
Gaetano Spinelli's works are included in the collections of major art galleries, including the Uffizi in Florence. Despite this recognition, the artist remains little known to the general public. The exhibition, promoted by the Pinacoteca di Sassari, aims to highlight his figure and his work, characterized by a style of painting that is at times melancholic, at others luminous and vibrant, always capable of conveying intense emotion.
Born into a family of artists from Puglia, Spinelli began his artistic career with his father Francesco, later continuing his studies at the Academies of Fine Arts in Naples and Turin. In the early decades of the twentieth century, he lived between Sardinia and Florence, developing a special bond with Sassari, where he arrived in 1903 as a teacher at the Technical Institute. In Sardinia, he met his future wife, and this marriage would forge a deep bond with the island, so much so that in 1916, the prestigious art magazine "Emporium" described him as "an interpreter of the Sardinian soul." Spinelli was a keen observer, fascinated by the beauty of the landscapes and the austere figures in traditional dress.
The opening is free. The exhibition will be open until September 27, 2026.
