On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the twinning between Rome and Paris, the Italian Cultural Institute of Paris presents Ceccotti-Passeretti. Metaphysics of Time, an exhibition dedicated to Sergio Ceccotti and Umberto Passeretti, curated by Antonio Calbi and Andrea Iezzi.
Born in Rome ten years apart, and bound by a long-standing friendship and a deep connection to Paris, Ceccotti and Passeretti have developed two very different artistic worlds that nonetheless converge in a shared reflection on time, memory, and the legacy of Italian figurative culture.
For Umberto Passeretti, Antiquity is a living presence. Having long lived in direct contact with Hadrian's Villa, he makes the classical world the heart of an artistic research in which sculptures, drapery, and anatomy are reinterpreted through a style of painting that strives for harmony and balance. The past thus becomes an active force, capable of reappearing and changing within the present.
In the work of Sergio Ceccotti, different eras seem to coexist on the contrary. Rome and Paris, interiors, architectures, memories, cinema, Surrealism and film noir atmospheres form a universe in which everyday life takes on an enigmatic dimension. Philippe Soupault coined the phrase, "the uncanny everyday", to describe his painting, highlighting his ability to turn the familiar into the unexpected.
Paris has played a profound role in the career of both artists. Passeretti studied there at the École des Beaux-Arts in the 1960s and took part in the artistic and cultural vibrancy of that time. For Ceccotti, the French capital became a true second artistic home, marked by numerous and décisives exhibitions, encounters, and collaborations. Their friendship dates back to the late 1960s, through the painter and printmaker Sergio Birga. Since then, they have kept on developing their respective artistic identity while their paths have crossed between Rome and Paris, while keeping intact their respective artistic identity.
Ceccotti-Passeretti. Metaphysics of Time brings these two artistic journeys into dialogue: on the one hand, the enduring presence and reinvention of Antiquity in Passeretti's work; on the other, the layering of time and memory in Ceccotti's work. Two distinct ways of exploring the past and using it as a lens to look at the present.
