On 23rd of April 2016 the second edition of the Biennale di Disegno has been launched in Rimini under the title “Profiles of the World” – prestigious loans and unpublished artworks for the event, with 27 exhibitions and 2,000 artworks, a journey through great artists that combines classic and contemporary works, matched for their similarity or inspiration. 
More than one thousand artists exhibite along an itinerary through the most beautiful and striking locations in Rimini.

It is not far-fetched to say that the first drawing, traced in the bare earth or on the wall of a cave, invented History: antelopes, spears and hunters were perhaps the first ideographs of an ever continuing narration and repertoire. Part of this reflection is the second edition of the Biennale di Disegno in Rimini titled “Profiles of the World”, that explores the history of design as a natural and anthological tale of the landscape, and the human landscape, that confirms Rimini’s vocation for not just tourism, as a famous seaside resort, but also for culture and art. 

Conceived by the Municipality of Rimini and the Municipal museums, the Biennale del Disegno 2016 has been launched on the 23rd of April and remain open until 10th of July, a route of 2,000 artworks in 27 exhibitions held simultaneously, along an itinerary in the most beautiful exhibition (and non-exhibition) locations in Rimini.

Prestigious loans – like loans from the Bologna Art Gallery’s Print Room – have brought antique and modern artworks to Rimini, that curators compare in a continuous dialogue between similarity and artistic interpretation, up to contemporary art honoured with “Cantiere Disegno” that exhibits 40 artists from our time. And so, the great maestros like Guido Reni or Guercino converse with the modernity of Francis Bacon (and his drawings from a private collection in London) and Kiki Smith. 

The most attractive public spaces in the city are to be involved, such as the Museo della Città, Castel Sismondo, Teatro Galli, Gambalunga Palace, the Rimini Art Factory (FAR – Fabbrica Arte Rimini), the Museo degli Sguardi, the new wing of the Museo della Città (Cantiere Disegno), the Complesso degli Agostiniani , etc.

This year the ‘Open Circuit’ will be repeated, in other separate locations, and with branches in other cities in the territory. Finally, with the Disegno Festival, the Biennale will deliver a feature dedicated to events, encounters and workshops throughout the summer.

Twenty-seven simultaneous exhibitions in Rimini’s most beautiful locations
The journey ideally starts at the main exhibition named: “Profiles of the World. The human landscape and the natural landscape” divided into two parts, hosted at the Rimini Museo della Città Luigi Tonini and in the spaces in the FAR Rimini Art Factory (curated by Alessandra Bigi Iotti, Marinella Paderni, Massimo Pulini and Giulio Zavatta). A collective which consists of the interesting thematic approach taken in approximately 150 drawings, among classic drawings like those by Guido Reni and Guercino, and the modernity of Francis Bacon and Kiki Smith, to name but a few. The idea is to scour the world of design starting with man, from ancient to contemporary. From the Head of Christ by Guido Reni, alongside a section of works of the nude body, or its parts, which were the subject of academic study (a splendid Nude by Guercino among others on display), then moving on to portraiture.  From the scenery of the eighteenth and nineteenth century models we reach contemporaneity, studied for example through the disarticulation of the body and the progressive shift away from shape in the works of Francis Bacon. A path that also looks at the man/artist, coming into contact with the cosmos and studying the world through geographic maps, who – as in the artworks by Claude Lorrain or Giuseppe Penone – lands on drawings that study nature.

The City Museum Luigi Tonini also hosts the collection of drawings from the Town Museums of the Reggio Emilia region, a collection of works from Leilo Orsi to Omar Galliani and the exhibition “Drawings of the New Worlds”, works from the Fondo Des Verges. And still Fabrizio Corneli displays “Light among lights” while “The Drawn Sculpture” is the section dedicated to Agostino di Duccio from the Sforza Castle.

In the New Wing of the Museum, carrying on with the first edition’s formula, the Cantiere Disegno opens. After its 2014 success, the Cantiere has established itself as a unique example in Italy, a reference point for young people. This year the Cantiere is growing and evolving by opening its doors to 45 contemporary artists that will self-manage their designated spaces.

At the FAR Rimini Art Factory you can also visit the exhibition “Water draws”, curated by Franco Pozzi in collaboration with Romagna Acque, which is centred on the cartography of the waters in Romagna from the sixteenth century to today, also exhibiting some interesting Riminese views. Additionally, at the FAR the exhibition there will be “The biggest provocation in the world” by the architect Pier Carlo Bontempi who will show his original projects, created on the computer and subsequently processed by hand, to Rimini. 

Castel Sismondo, Rimini’s splendid Malatesta Fortress, welcomes a large exposition that explores the art of drawing in the twentieth century under the title “Martians. Artwork on paper from the Italian twentieth century”. The works, a gallery of great beauty, come from the Milanese Ramo collection and are being displayed as a preview to their final move into the new twentieth century museum dedicated to design.

Also at Castel Sismondo, “Profiles of the sky” is the name of the exhibition that displays the preparation sheets, which are important sketches, for the Loreto Dome drawn by Pomarancio and Cesare Maccari in the second half of the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. This is alongside an exhibition of one of the greatest Maestros of the Italian twentieth century “Sironi’s Sironi”, a collection of artworks that were in the studio of the great artist, curated by one of the biggest painter connoisseurs: Claudio Spadoni.

The Biennale continues with the drawings of another protagonist in last century’s art scene: Domenico Rambelli, with an exhibition titled “The Volume of the Sign”. From Galileo Chini, however, artworks from the family collection can be admired, while the exhibition that ends the route is dedicated to the graphic artworks of Orlando Orlandi and Giancarlo Valentini.

The striking Teatro Galli in Rimini, recently converted to a place of culture, will host a large event; an exhibition on the cartoonist and painter Andrea Pazienza titled “…I thought it was a flash, but it was a beginning”. Alongside Pazienza the “Heroic Manuscript” is displayed, a volume that in November will be included in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest manuscript in the world from the Malatesta Library in Cesena.

There will also be the exhibition “Belgaum Cenacle”, Milanese portraits and caricatures of the Renaissance, as well as an exhibition on the architect Luigi Poletti, a small preview of the materials that are kept at his own Poletti library on the planning of the Riminese theatre.

At Palazzo Gambalunga two artists are to be exhibited: Pino Pascali and Tullio Pericoli, the latter of which is the protagonist of the main magazines, newspapers and book covers from many publishing companies.

Finally, the Complesso degli Agostiniani, in the Sala Pamphili hosts “Dialogue Routes”, and the artists on display are Luca Caccioni and Massimiliano Fabbri, while the Oratory of San Sebastiono exhibits Cesare Pronti.

Opening time: from Wednesday to Friday 11-19. Saturdays and holidays 11 - 21. Closed onMondays and Tuesdays 
Tickets for entrace to the exhibiotns in: Castel Sismondo, Teatro Galli, FAR and Museo della Città: full ticket € 10,00; redoced € 8,00 (over 65, 7 to 12 years old
Free entry to Palazzo Gambalunga, Galleria dell’Immagine, Complesso degli Agostiniani, Oratorio di San Giovannino, Istituto Lettimi.
Guided tour to the main exhibitions in Castel Sismondo, FAR and City Museum on Saturdays and Sundays at 17.00. Info & booking: +39 0541.53399 (Iat Tourist Information Offices)

For information: Department of Culture of the Municipality of Rimini – Municipal Museums Telephone: +390541 704414/704416/704424 E-mail: musei@comune.rimini.it

Hotel packages
Rimini celebrates Design as a creative expression for excellence, making its historical centre available, which has been transformed for the occasion into a beating heart of creativity and research. Discover it through historical palaces, ancient piazzas, striking lanes and streets, discovering the most important glimpses of a city that is deeply linked to history and art, thanks to the holiday packages suggested by tourism operators  (www.riminireservation.it).

Info: www.biennaledisegnorimini.it