The International Exhibition of Modern christian art at the Permanente in Milan (1931): strategies, protagonists, critical reception

Abstract

The International Exhibition of Modern christian art took place at the Permanente in Milan at the end of 1931. Officially organized by the Society of Friends of christian art, it was managed almost entirely by the Beato Angelico School, founded in the city in 1921 as Higher School of christian art by the priest Giuseppe Polvara. The international presence included representatives from Germany, Hungary, England, Holland, Austria, Yugoslavia and Switzerland but above all from France (Denis’ Ateliers d’art sacrè) and the Benedictine schools of central Europe. The greatest space was, however, reserved for the works of the Beato Angelico School, which managed the exhibition in a self-promotional manner, devising a program of collateral ini­tiatives and taking care of the communication campaign. The results were not what was hoped for. This is proven by the critical reviews that appeared in the press and a polemical aftermath involving some of the organizers. In reaction to all this, it was decided not to organize similar exhibitions anymore.