On October 16th, the Italian Cultural Institute, inaugurated the exhibition “Of Bronze and Fire” by the renowned Ferdinando Marinelli Foundry of Florence. On show are bronze replicas of famous works of art by artists such as Ghiberti, Tacca, Giambologna, Cellini as well as Greek, Etruscan and Roman masters’ examples. The ability to reproduce the originals with absolute accuracy has earned the Marinelli foundry its impeccable reputation in the world of bronze casting. The shows highlights the peculiar casting techniques employed in Tuscany and the role that the art of bronze casting plays in the conservation of the original artworks.
An important selection of works is simultaneously on show at the Residence of the Consul General of Italy. Among the sculptures exhibited also a bronze bust of Giuseppe Verdi based on an 1886 portrait by Giovanni Boldini. The statue, cast in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Maestro’s birth, will be donated to the Los Angeles Opera on the occasion of the opening of Verdi’s Falstaff on November 9, and will find a permanent home in the lobby of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
