MARIA LAI HOLDING THE SUN BY THE HAND Format: Paperback

Maria Lai (Ulassai, September 27, 1919 - Cardedu, April 16, 2013) is without doubt one of the leading figures in the history of contemporary Italian art. Not only on account of the content of her works, but also thanks to the diversity of her artistic approach, ranging as it does across many media - public art, embroidery, weaving, sculpture, drawing, and writing: all are grist for her poetics. The book is published to coincide with the exhibition at the MAXXI Museum in Rome, which is presenting to the general public over one hundred works by the Sardinian artist, from the early 1960s to her very last works, and explores the various themes dear to the artist with the contributions of experts in their fields: the locations, the creation, and publication of art books, her public art events and her relationship with the written word and her own writing. Her entire oeuvre is distinguished by its powerful visual impact, revealing a 'way of doing art' that is nothing other than an instrument of thought. The book's structure reflects the exhibition's own sections, arranged by theme, whose titles are paradigmatic of Lai's oeuvre as a whole: Essere è tessere. Cucire e ricucire; L'arte è il gioco degli adulti. Giocare e raccontare; Disseminare e condividere; Il viaggiatore astrale. Immaginare l'altrove; L'arte ci prende per mano. Incontrare e partecipare.

Published to accompany an exhibition at the MAXXI Museum, Rome, 19 June 2019-12 January 2020.

Text in English and Italian.

Maria Alicata is an art historian and exhibition organiser. She was head of the Art, Architecture, and Town Planning section at the Olivetti Foundation. Antonella Anedda trained as an art historian and has worked in the field of literature and translation. She writes essays and poetry. Franco Farinelli is a geographer and has taught in some of the world's most illustrious universities: Geneva University; UCLA - University of California, Los Angeles; UCB - University of California, Berkeley; and at the Sorbonne in Paris. He is Professor of Geography at Bologna University and has been president of Associazione Geografi italiani (Society of Italian Geographers). Davide Mariani is an art historian and director of the Stazione dell'Arte in Ulassai (Nuoro). Elena Pontiggia is an art historian with a particular interest in Italian and international art between the wars. She teaches at the Accademia di Brera and at the Politecnico di Milano.