Metaphysical art. The De Chirico journal. Fondazione Giorgio e Isa De Chirico (2020). Vol. 19

The Foundation Giorgio e Isa de Chirico is pleased to announce the publication of "Metaphysical Art - The de Chirico Journals" n. 19/20 (2020), a biennial periodical dedicated to recent scholarship on Giorgio de Chirico's art with contributions by internationally recognised academics as well as a new generation of researchers.
The present issue opens with the Foundation's President Paolo Picozza discussing the current state of scholarship on the de Chirico and the many initiatives launched in the ideal continuation of the celebrations for the Master's death 40th anniversary.
The editorial is followed by Fabio Benzi's article, which tracks down influence on young de Chirico of the vibrant cultural milieu of the Greece capital, especially for his reading of Nietzsche.
German culture returns in Ara H. Merjian's dense essay, explores how de Chirico's Metaphysical imagery, contributed to profoundly influencing politicised representational strategies between the World Wars, with a specific focus on the less comprehensively studied rapport between Metaphysical aesthetics and left-wing, avant-garde experiments and visions of labor in 1920s Weimar.
Unpublished archival materials (here published in English) is at the core of Victoria Noel- Johnson's study documenting in great detail works by de Chirico in the collection of the Belgian collector and Surrealist art patron, Rene? Gaffe?. Giorgia Chierici's investigation into the archival sources discovered in the Morgan Archives in New York and the sales records kept at the MoMA not only allows us to identify the works on display in de Chirico first American the exhibition at the Valentine gallery, but also helps trace down this other works gravitating around that venue and its merchants-owners: Valentine Dudensing and Pierre Matisse.
The focus of Roberta Di Nicola's essay is a philosophical reading of de Chirico'w work as theatrical set designer for D'Annunzio's pastoral tragedy The Daughter of Iorio. The essay features unpublished correspondence between the Master and Silvio d'Amico (translated into English) and an analysis of sketches of the play's costumes.
The last article recounts an innovative experiment, entitled Hebdomeros + KikiTVisuoSonics, that has launched de Chirico directly into the future. Its authors, Maurice Owens and Russell Richards, have put forward an interpretation of Giorgio de Chirico's novel Ebdo?mero, coupling an in-depth scholarly analysis with a pioneering use of digital technology.
As is customary, this issue of "Metaphysical Art" closes with a description of the Foundation's activities and publications for 2019/2020.