Maurilio Catalano. Il pittore che dipinge i sogni

"Maurilio Catalano - il pittore che dipinge i sogni" (Maurilio Catalano - the painter who paints dreams) is a tribute to the man himself, not just the artist.

His life is recounted through photographs, letters, works of art and pages from everyday life that bear witness to the cultural commitment that Maestro Catalano had throughout his life to the city of Palermo.

The exhibition, curated by Aldo Gerbino and strongly supported by the University of Palermo, the Buttitta Foundation and the University Museum System of the University of Palermo, in collaboration with the Maurilio Catalano Foundation and under the patronage of the Municipality of Palermo, will be inaugurated on Thursday 30 October at 6 p.m. in the Sala delle Verifiche of the Steri Monumental Complex, in Piazza Marina 61, Palermo.

The exhibition is conceived as a true biographical narrative, with a central section dedicated to a selection of snapshots that testify to Catalano's deep cultural commitment to his city.

On display are images of the inauguration of his gallery, Arte al Borgo, a place that over the years became an essential crossroads of ideas and discussion for the intellectual elite.

The photographs evoke the illustrious guests present at that event: names of the calibre of Renato Guttuso, Leonardo Sciascia, Pasqualino Noto, Giorgio Gaber and Carlo Levi.

There are also exciting shots of him receiving his first award and other snapshots of his life, offering an intimate and social insight into the Maestro.

Catalano's artistic soul lives on through some thirty works that trace his creative evolution in anthological form. They range from his ingenious paintings on Plexiglas from the 1960s and 1970s to thematic sequences of acrylics on canvas.

The exhibition also encompasses his production of ex-votos, illuminations, evocative wooden installations and canvases that encapsulate the iconic elements that became his unmistakable signature: hot air balloons, boats, steamers, wheels, anchors and harpoons.

The exhibition is completed by portraits of Catalano taken by masters of photography such as Marco Glaviano and Ferdinando Scianna, as well as the covers of books he edited for writers such as Gaetano Savattieri, Leonardo Sciascia and Matteo Collura.

Of great historical and sentimental interest are the letters addressed to key figures in Italian culture such as Alfonso Gatto and Renato Guttuso.

The exhibition is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 13:30 and Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 to 17:00 until 17 November, with free admission.