An exhibit of drawings, Blind Visions: Carlo Levi’s Disegni Della Cecità, by acclaimed anti-Fascist Italian author and artist Carlo Levi (1902-1975), presented by The Center for Italian Studies at Stony Brook University, will open at the Charles B. Wang Center Chapel, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, Long Island, New York.
Curated by Nino Sottile Zumbo, 45 of 145 recently discovered drawings and paintings will be on display from March 23 through April 12. This is only the second time that the art has been displayed in the U.S. The works were created while Levi was bedridden in 1973 during a period of temporary blindness as a result of diabetes.
A round table discussion placing the Blind Visions drawings in the larger context of Levi’s life and work will accompany the exhibit. Experts from Stony Brook and other institutions of higher learning will discuss Levi’s paintings, literary works and introduce the movie “Christ Stopped at Eboli,” a film adaption of Levi’s widely praised 1945 memoir detailing his life in exile and under police surveillance in southern Italy from 1935 to 1936 for opposing Fascism in his hometown of Turin. The screening and discussion will be held April 2 at 4:00 pm at the Center for Italian Studies, Frank Melville Library, 4th floor, Room E-4340.
The Center for Italian Studies was founded in 1985 by Stony Brook University Distinguished Service Professor, the late Dr. Mario B. Mignone, in order to provide cultural enrichment that reflected the cultural heritage of the Italian and Italian American community on Long Island. The exhibit is sponsored and produced by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU, organized and curated by the Center for Italian Studies at the Wang Center of Stony Brook University, in collaboration with the Primo Levi Center. The gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm; Friday closed; Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Admission is free and the exhibit is open to the public.
