This fall, the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia has organized a film series focusing on Italians and design in conjunction with the exhibition Modern Living: Gio Ponti and the 20th-Century Aesthetics of Design, on view through Sept. 17.
Ponti (1891-1979) is widely recognized as the father of modern Italian design. In addition to creating architecture, furniture, decorative art and industrial products, he also participated in international design exhibitions and contributed to design magazines, all of which spread his influence far and wide.
The four films will screen on consecutive Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the museum’s M. Smith Griffith Auditorium. Each film will open with a 15-minute introduction by a guest speaker and close with a short conversation. All films are open free to the public.
The documentary Amare Gio Ponti will screen on Aug. 24 and presents a picture of the man, the architect, aspiring painter and Italian designer who tried it all—from the design of a door handle to the formulation of a town plan. (2015, NR. 34 min.)
The 1954 classic La Strada, by director Federico Fellini, will screen on Aug. 31. Set in a seedy traveling carnival, this symbolism-laden drama was the winner of the first official Academy Award for best foreign-language film. It stars Giulietta Masina and Anthony Quinn. (NR. 108 min.)
Design Is One: Lella and Massimo Vignelli will screen Sept. 7. Through their firm Vignelli Associates, the couple’s wide-ranging work included housewares and furniture design, logos, signage and the iconic 1972 New York City Subway map. (2013, NR. 86 min.)
The series will close Sept. 14 with a screening of La Dolce Vita. One of Fellini’s most celebrated films, the drama presents a series of stories following a week in the life of a philandering paparazzo journalist living in Rome. It stars Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg. (1960, NR. 180 min.)
The Italians and Design film series is sponsored by the UGA Parents Leadership Council.
