Two new acquisitions enrich Tortona's Gallery of Divisionism

The Pinacoteca Divisionismo Tortona continues its path of growth and enhancement of the permanent collection with two new acquisitions that strengthen the narrative of Italian Divisionism in its many facets. In fact, the 1898 painting Fienile (Barn) by Rubaldo Merello (Isolato Valtellina, 1872 - Santa Margherita Ligure, 1922) and E maledice al giorno che rimena il servaggio, painted between 1904 and 1905 by Matteo Olivero (Acceglio, 1879 - Saluzzo, 1832) join the collections.

These are works signed by two artists already present in the exhibition itinerary, allowing for further in-depth exploration of the profile of protagonists often considered marginal but fundamental to the understanding of the movement. The entry of the two works occurs in a particularly relevant year for the Tortona institution, which in 2026 celebrates the 25th anniversary of its opening. A milestone that confirms the Pinacoteca’s vocation for a constant expansion of the collection, alongside a critical reading attentive to the different individual paths developed within Divisionism.

Rubaldo Merello’sBarn documents a central phase of his painterly research. The composition is constructed through a dense and enveloping pictorial material, organized in a weave of curvilinear and modulated gaits that render the image of a lush and pulsating nature. The relationship between vision and landscape is resolved in a strong emotional identification, sustained by a mellow color and a pictorial gesture charged with expressive tension. The work anticipates the artist’s progressive approach to an increasingly autonomous formal freedom, which would find full fruition after his move to Ruta di Camogli in 1904 and in his subsequent dedication to the Ligurian coastal landscape. The painting stands alongside Landscape. Study of 1907, already preserved in the Pinacoteca, reinforcing the reading of a Divisionism reworked in a lyrical and personal key, characterized by chromatic outcomes of strong intensity.

Of particular note is also the acquisition of E maledice al giorno che rimena il servaggio by Matteo Olivero. The work represents a crucial moment in the Piedmontese artist’s career, when Divisionist language is employed to address themes of social news. Presented at the 6th Venice Biennale in 1905, the canvas owes its title to a line from Giosuè Carducci’s ode All’Aurora, a rare literary choice within Olivero’s production. In those years the painter was engaged in the study of the light of the early hours of the day and, at the same time, showed a strong sensitivity to the social tensions of his time. The composition is part of an ideal dialogue with Giuseppe Pellizza, with whom Olivero had an intense correspondence, recognizing his authority and role as a reference. Observation of the real, attention to civic instances and luministic research coexist in the work, which assumes a central value for understanding the artist’s evolution. The new works fit into the permanent itinerary of the Pinacoteca, which also hosts the focus The Young Pellizza until February 15, 2026. Academies, Masters and Early Experiences: 1883-1890, dedicated to Giuseppe Pellizza’s formative years through rarely exhibited paintings.

Two new acquisitions enrich Tortona's Gallery of Divisionism

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