A Suggestion for Building a Romolo Venucci Gallery

Status:

Project not implemented

Year of designing:

1990.

Program:

Culture

Location:

Korzo 26,
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Author:

Vladi Bralić

Romolo Venucci was born 1903 in Rijeka and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest. His whole life he worked as a painter and an art teacher in his hometown.

His painterly oeuvre can be systematically monitored through periods of post-impressionism, expressionism, cubism, architectural impressionism, geometric abstraction and figurative painting. Venucci’s work reached a high artistic level, and represents a significant contribution to Rijeka, Croatian and Italian culture. Venucci died in 1976.
The wife of the late artist donated a collection of 87 papers (48 oil, 37 drawings and 2 sculptures) to the former Modern Gallery in 1989, a work which represents a cross section of his life’s work.

Driven by a desire for the affirmation of Rijeka identity, the author drafted proposal for a gallery that would contribute to the cultural awareness in the substantive sense, as well as to the logic and the beauty of an integral work collection of the Rijeka painter.

Based on this suggestion, the gallery should be arranged within the building on Korzo (Corso) 26, a fine building from the period of Art Nouveau architecture, designed with interesting narrow front which emphasizes stylistic elements of high quality design. The building was designed in 1905 by an Italian architect Ambrosini. Of course, the possible adaptation of the gallery space would open the possibility for the reconstruction of its original state.

The proposal for the establishment of the Romolo Venucci Gallery was exhibited at the Rijeka exhibition Interpretations (1989), and with this exhibition, the Museum of Modern Art celebrated its 40 years of activity. The following exhibition was Biennale of the Mediterranean Youth in Marseilles (1990). It was awarded the 25^th Zagreb Salon of Fine Arts Award the same year.

Nevertheless, the project never took place.