Photo Gallery: Trani, immagini dalla inaugurazione della mostra su Ferruccio Frisone

The images in this photo gallery are taken from the inauguration of the great art exhibition "Frisone and the Nights in Fullen. The Figurative Work of Ferruccio Francesco Frisone During His Internment in Third Reich Camps," currently underway at the Trani Polo Museale (Piazza Duomo 8/9). The exhibition, which brings to the public's attention the 113 drawings created by the artist during his internment in various prison camps established by the Nazi regime, was organized and staged by the S.E.C.A. Foundation of Trani and the Foundation Institute of Concentrationary Music Literature of Barletta. The exhibition opening was attended by the artist's son, Giovanni Frisone, who arrived in Puglia from the USA with his wife, Deborah Smith; the Prefect of the BAT, Silvana DAgostino; the Director General of the Department of Tourism, Economy, Culture and Territorial Development of the Puglia Region, Aldo Patruno; the President and Secretary General of the SECA Foundation, Isabella Ciccolella and Natale Pagano; the President and Vice President of the ILMC Foundation, Francesco Lotoro and Grazia Tiritiello; the BAT Police Chief, Alfredo Fabbrocini; and the Head of Philately at Poste Italiane - Bari, Francesco Giannuzzi. The exhibition, curated by Graziano Urbano, Mariangela Di Candido and Francesco Lotoro, is open until January 31, 2025, and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm and from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm (free admission; info: 0883582470; info@fondazioneilmc.it; info@fondazioneseca.it). The exhibition enjoys the free patronage of the Puglia Region and the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. The catalog is published by ILMC Edizioni and can be purchased at the exhibition venue or by emailing info@fondazioneilmc.it.

The exhibition is a tribute to one of the most fascinating artistic figures of the twentieth century: the illustrator, painter, and sculptor Ferruccio Francesco Frisone, whose biographical and artistic journey was intertwined with the drama of the Second World War and the internment of 600,000 Italian soldiers in the Reich following the armistice of September 8, 1943. The exhibition features 113 drawings by Frisone on various media (from notebook paper to cardboard) using a variety of drawing techniques throughout his entire period in captivity, from his imprisonment in Albania to the four concentration camps in which he was interned: Semlin, Versen, and Fullen. This is the complete collection of drawings that Giovanni Frisone, the artist's son, donated, along with the precious diary written by his father while a prisoner, to the Institute of Concentrary Music Literature (ETS), based in Barletta. This foundation is dedicated to the rediscovery, preservation, and dissemination of music written in concentration camps and civilian and military prison camps from 1933 (the opening of KL Dachau) to 1953 (the death of Joseph Stalin). The Ferruccio Francesco Frisone Collection is an artistic heritage of inestimable value and has now officially become part of the art collections of the ILMC Foundation and the cultural heritage of the Puglia Region.

The exhibition offers a glimpse into one of the darkest chapters of World War II, which saw Italian soldiers who opposed Nazism as protagonists and victims. At the same time, it aims to highlight how art served as a tool of resistance against the physical and moral annihilation inflicted by totalitarian regimes through internment and deportation.

Ph. © Luciana Doronzo / Fondazione ILMC