GENOA.- Flavio Costantini (1926–2013) spent his illustrious career examining the contradictions, ambiguities, and deceptions of history, particularly focusing on the dramatic events of the 20th century. Through a variety of thematic cycles, Costantini brought to life some of the most emblematic and tragic episodes of that era. His work explored everything from the anarchist movement's subversive dynamics—meticulously reconstructing the bombings that took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—to the sinking of the Titanic, an event that symbolically marked the end of an era. Costantini's art vividly captures the bleeding fronts of World War I and the Russian Revolution's political upheavals, events that forever altered global dynamics.
His exhibition at the Wolfsonian museum reflects the spirit of the institution's collection, curated by Micky Wolfson, who shared a long-standing friendship with Costantini. The collection documents the complexities and profound historical and social significance of that tumultuous era through a wide array of materials. This exhibition offers an evocative and fascinating tribute to an artist who was both stylistically unique and innovative in his expressive solutions.
Despite drawing from various contemporary trends—especially Pop Art—Costantini crafted an original artistic language. His ability to recreate the tastes, fashions, and atmospheres of the time was accompanied by daring formal techniques and a meticulous historical investigation. This distinctive process of translating history into his famous thematic series is highlighted in the exhibition through a selection of publications and documentary materials (letters, photographs, sketches, etc.) from the Flavio Costantini Archive, which has been active in Carrara since 2019.
From Mariner to Artist
Flavio Costantini was born in Rome on September 21, 1926. After graduating as a captain, he served in the Italian Navy, reaching the rank of Sub-Lieutenant. From 1951 to 1954, he sailed with the Merchant Navy. During these years, his primary interest was literature, and he became a passionate reader of Franz Kafka, eventually illustrating some of Kafka’s novels.
In 1955, Costantini left his maritime career behind and settled in Rapallo, where he connected with the fashion designer Gianni Baldini. Baldini commissioned him to design fabrics for his company, Stampati del Portofino, which produced artisanal women's clothing. Through Baldini, Costantini met the influential artist Emanuele Luzzati, a turning point in his career that led to numerous fruitful professional opportunities.
Luzzati introduced Costantini to Marco Biassoni, a cartoonist, and Dario Bernazzoli, a graphic designer. Together, they had formed the Firma advertising studio in 1956, which Costantini joined as an accountant. However, his talent for illustration quickly emerged, and he began publishing his first drawings in company magazines for Esso and Shell, which were Firma’s clients.
During the same period, Costantini met Eugenio Carmi, and through him, the journalist Carlo Vita Fedeli. This connection led to Costantini’s collaboration with Italsider, for which he illustrated several corporate publications, including L'acciaio tra gli ulivi (Steel Among the Olives) in 1961 and Le città del ferro (The Cities of Iron) in 1966.
An Artistic Legacy
Parallel to his commercial work, Costantini developed a personal artistic practice. Following a trip to Spain in 1959, he produced a series of oil paintings centered around tauromachia (bullfighting), followed by works on anarchists, the Titanic, the Romanov family, the Warsaw Ghetto, and portraits of writers and poets who had inspired him throughout his life.
In addition to collaborating with national newspapers and periodicals like La Domenica del Corriere, Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, L'Europeo, Panorama, and L’Espresso, Costantini illustrated numerous books, including Il cavallino di fuoco by Vladimir Mayakovsky (1969 and 2003), Cuore by Edmondo De Amicis (1977), The Shadow Line by Joseph Conrad (1989), and Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1997).
Flavio Costantini passed away in Genoa on May 20, 2013, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic exploration and historical reflection curated by his family and close colleagues, such as Anna Costantini, Matteo Fochessati, and Anna Vyazemtseva. His work remains a profound testament to the intersection of art, history, and politics, capturing the essence of a world in constant turmoil.
