Home >> Art in Need >> What can I help restore now? >> Greta Garbo by Titina Maselli >> A legend amongst legends
Maselli's Greta Garbo at the Venice Biennale 1964, with F. Angeli, M. Calvesi, T. Maselli, T. Festa, M. Schifano and G. Fioroni.
A legend amongst legends
| SHARE |  |  |
A vintage photograph snapped at Venice's Biennale in 1964 proves Maselli is in good company. Greta Garbo made its debut at the Biennale in Venice in 1964, when Italy was beginning to benefit from the 'economic boom' that catapulted the country out of post-war poverty. The now-legendary art show (edition XXXII) was indeed pivotal. The presence of US Pop Art was ubiquitous, and the European press courted the likes of Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Jim Dine, which ultimately popularized the genre in Italy. Almost immediately following the Biennale, the United States would take Europe's place as art capital, especially in terms of market potential. Maselli is thought to have anticipated the Pop Art trend during her New York sojourn, and Greta Garbo is seen by some as proof of the artist having her finger on the pulse of cutting-edge art. Her largescale rendition of the intense Swedish actress is certainly in line with one of the movement's guiding principles: immediate recognition of the painterly subject. Maselli would participate in five Venice Biennales over the course of her career.