Maria Lai (Ulassai, 27 September 1919 – Cardedu, 16 April 2013) is today one of the great names of the international art scene.

Her artworks are in important museums world-wide and in some of the most prestigious private collections. One of the most unique and profound voices of Italian post-war art, Maria Lai has articulated her artistic practice through various media including weaving, embroidery, drawing and writing. Each work reflects the intense echo of an ancient relationship that recalls the dawn of narration and poetry. With Legarsi alla montagna (1981) and the involvement of the entire town of Ulassai, she created the first relational art work in Italy, distorting the traditional relationship between the author and the spectator of the work, transforming the public into the true architect of the artistic act.

The artist was celebrated in 2017 both at the 57th Venice Biennial and at Documenta 14, in the two Athens and Kassel venues, and in 2018 she was the protagonist of the important monogram Il filo e l’infinito at Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

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Gallery Exhibition

M77 Gallery is proud to present About Maria Lai our next exhibition focused on the extraordinary talent of artist Maria Lai which will take place on Friday 28th September at 7pm.

For the opening event M77 Gallery will host the presentation of the book Maria Lai. Art and connection (Ilisso, 2017) by Elena Pontiggia. On this very occasion an amazing conversation of anecdotes and reflections will take place among Maria Sofia Pisu, niece of the artist and president of the Maria Lai Archive, Cloe Piccoli, art critic, curator and lecturer at the Brera Fine Arts Academy in Milan, and Elena Pontiggia, author of the book.

The conversation will be the special opportunity to open up new prospects on the life and the poetry of Maria Lai, across unpublished materials collected into the volume, the precious testimony of the niece of the artist and the contribution of Cloe Piccoli.

The event will be organised around a fine selection of works, which will be displayed around the M77 Gallery and visible to the public from Friday 28th September to Saturday 13th October 2018.

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