An exceptional exhibition, with more than twenty canvases by Mario Schifano made in the 1960s being exhibited for the first time: “Inevitable Journey to Marrakesh” and “Companions” (kiss), from 1968, Oasis (or Palms), up to “All Stars” from 1967, eight canvases – never seen and never photographed to date -, made by the artist to cover the walls and ceiling of a room of Princess Patrizia Ruspoli in Rome, a room faithfully reproduced where the public will be able to enter to experience the same emotion as then. An exhibition that brings these works together for the first time in one big narrative never before experienced.

On April 17 in Milan, the exhibition “Mario Schifano. Comrades in an oasis under the starry sky,” curated by Monica Schifano and Marco Meneguzzo, which for the first time presents paintings made by the great artist between 1966 and 1968 and never exhibited to the public until now: from “Inevitable trip to Marrakesh” to “Comrades” (kiss), from 1968, Oasis (or Palms) from 1967, Untitled (palm, stars, sickle and hammer), 1967-68 to “Tutte stelle” from 1967. “A unicum, an absolutely new perspective in the albeit vast series of exhibitions dedicated to the artist,” says Meneguzzo, a member of the Works Archive committee, “with works of large dimensions, made especially for people who, like him, were experiencing the same feelings, and never exhibited since…

All Stars, eight canvases–never seen, never photographed and never exhibited to date–were made by Mario Schifano to cover the walls and ceiling of a room (a loft) in Princess Patrizia Ruspoli’s house in Rome. Schifano imagined this space as an immersive place, completely enveloped by the stars in a feeling of movement, lightness and exaltation of the senses. The exhibition faithfully reproduces that room created by Schifano, and visitors will be able to enter it and experience the same emotions surrounded by the works. Also in the catalog is the only existing period photo of Patrizia Ruspoli in that room, immersed among the striking murals. Schifano was inspired by personal experiences, psychedelic visions and myths, creating works that explored the dreamlike and fantastic dimension of reality. This series, in particular, takes the artist back to his birth in Homs, Libya, to nights spent as a child admiring the stars and palm trees. The stars, of different sizes and colors, are depicted variously, some bright and sparkling, others more distant and blurred. For this reason, too, Tutte stelle is considered one of the masterpieces of contemporary Italian art and has remained a point of reference for art lovers and Schifano scholars, confirming his extraordinary talent for transforming spaces through art.

Another masterpiece exhibited for the first time is “Inevitable Journey to Marrakesh,” a polyptych composed of eight canvases, one of the Italian artist’s most significant and evocative works, belonging to a cycle that was inspired by this very journey. Schifano visited Marrakesh in 1969 and was fascinated by the vibrant atmosphere and intense colors of the Moroccan city. His stay in Marrakesh profoundly influenced his subsequent artistic production, leading to the creation of works that reflected the sensory experience and energy of the city.

The exhibition tour continues with another previously unseen work, Oasis (palm tree on red background and stars) from 1967 and the series “Beginning ModuleCompagni Compagni” from 1968, impressive paintings in which Schifano is influenced by the chronicle of his time. The works tell of the energy, vitality and action of that historical period, which the artist brings together in silhouettes that do not represent political manifestos, but real icons of those years. These include Compagni (kiss), 1968, never exhibited until now.

“The exhibition concerns a brief and intense period of Schifano’s work, which saw him on the one hand engaged in experiencing, sharing and recording in painting changes in customs – starting with the conquered freedom in relationships and sexual liberation – and on the other hand probing the movements of political protest, starting with Maoist-inspired slogans,” says the exhibition’s curator, Marco Meneguzzo. Between 1966 and 1970 Schifano experienced his personal revolution producing cycles of works such as “Tutte stelle,” such as Parte alta di notte, “Oasi” (better known as “palme”) and “Compagni Compagni” an explicit reference to the ’68 protest. But the novelty of the exhibition lies in having put them together in one grand narrative never before experienced: having constructed a “super narrative” by juxtaposing these three themes as if they were the components of a single landscape (clearly visible in the exhibition) constitutes a unicum and an absolutely new perspective in the albeit vast series of exhibitions on him. What’s more, the exhibition features large-scale works made especially for people who, like him, were experiencing the same sensations, and never exhibited since, such as the room “All Stars”-from floor to ceiling a psychedelic environment-made for Patrizia Ruspoli.”