Il trionfo dell’arte rustica e popolare alla Seconda Esposizione Internazionale delle Arti Decorative di Monza

To overcome the competition of the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925, the Committee of the Second Monza Biennial decided to include in its program the presence of folk art, which was rigorously rejected from the French event. The essay will examine the presence of Italian and foreign exhibitors promoting the rustic and popular trend, reconstructing their collection of furnitures, fabrics, ceramics and glasses through catalogs, photographs and articles published in newspapers and magazines. Finally, it will analyze the critical debate generated by this artistic language, strongly linked to the Italian artisan tradition, which involved Roberto Papini, Margherita Sarfatti, Francesco Sapori and Piero Torriano.