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Maria Mulas for Milan

by Andrea Tomasetig

 

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“Maria Mulas for Milan” is the title of this charity auction in favour of the proposal issued to the Milan council and accepted with the collaboration of Sotheby’s. On the last two days of September at the PAC, visitors will have the opportunity to see a substantial overview of Maria’s photographic work. From Gillo Dorfles to Lea Vergine and Pistoletto, from Lucio Amelio to Keith Haring and Christo, including many other important figures, who she portrayed with power and spontaneity. Furthermore, no less captivating are her architectural abstractions, from New York to Milan and Venice. Her universe is extremely rich; up and down galleries, museums and studios worldwide. This is confirmed by whoever remembers the exhibition dedicated to her by the city of Milan in 1998 and, more recently, in 2017.

 

This brief exhibition, made possible by her generous act, is a great opportunity to put a focus on Maria Mulas’s art and grant it the prominence it deserves. Indeed, she was born into a family with a vocation for photography, like the Wulz in Trieste and the Bragaglia in Rome. She emerge as the great Italian portrait photographer of the late 20th Century and a sound figure alongside her brother Ugo Mulas, who passed away much too early in 1973, from which she initially learned all the tricks of the trade.

 

Artists in Milan took notice immediately, along with those who would visit from all over Italy and the rest of the world, recognising there was something special to her photos. In fact, the list of artists photographed by Maria is massive and it is quicker to name the ones she did not work with. The voice “artists, gallery owners and critics” includes 118 voices and begins with “A”, for Marina Abramovic, to Cala Accardi, Valerio Adami, Getulio Alviani, Lucio Amelio, Laurie Anderson, Carlo Giulio Argan, Rodolfo Aricò all the way to the letter “V” for Walter Valentini, Grazia Varisco, Emilio Vedova, Lea Vergine and Luigi Veronesi. I think those names will suffice. Taken in Milan, the Venice Biennale, Kassel and New York, these portraits, shot during preparations, openings or in the studio, exude freshness and truth. “She sees that which is beyond”: they knew this and were grateful, as shown by the countless drawings and dedications filling the shelves of Maria’s library today.

 

Making Milan her epicentre, Maria Mulas portrayed the world of Italian and international contemporary art like no other. She also covered the city’s design, fashion and publishing scenes. Her photographs are the visual memoires of an era, from the 1960’s to 2000. Hundreds have had portraits taken by Maria including designers, architects, stylists, writers, editors, journalists, directors, actors, intellectuals, entrepreneurs and friends. A detailed list counts 539. In each case she knew how to be in the right place at the right time. She did all of this far from any formality, with great naturalness and empathy, together with cultivated professional competency and a high quality of relationships built. Maria Mulas soon became crowned ‘occhio di Milano’ (Milan’s Eye).  

 

Germano Celant, would often ask her for a photograph to use in his volumes and designed a monograph dedicated to her, which unfortunately remained an inconclusive project. In this regard, he wrote the following as his introduction: “in the end, her character repertory is titled “archive”, in which the ‘I’ figure transits towards the condition of a visual object. It provides an exterior which is interior, a humanity which is ‘something’ to observe”. He concludes by stating that Maria Mulas “tenderly provides her testimony from “up close”, without mythicizing her subjects yet rendering them real and familiar; photography as a basic point of access to the intellectual’s condition, from poet to artist”.

 

The character repertory described by Germano Celant is part of Maria Mulas’s main archive and the exhibition before the auction is an opportunity to discuss and re-introduce it to the city of Milan. With just a bit of information, we recognise her importance and articulation: over 19,000 photographs as well as more than 200,000 predominantly unedited negatives and slides, organised and subdivided into three main themes: portraits, reportage and research.

 

All of this together forms an indispensable tool for documenting and telling the visual story of Milan, the capital of Made in Italy, the city of fashion, design and publishing. Milan boasts a history in these sectors which is unique to Italy and the world, sitting under the ‘know how’ banner when it comes to industry and creativity. My hope is that her archive can soon find its home and that this precious memory is never lost.

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Maria Mulas, Reportage from a Lover’s Eyes

             by Paolo Fallai (Corriere della Sera)                  

 

When we photograph the person we love, that image suddenly comes to life with unexpected qualities: the light is surprisingly fitting, the focus is perfect and the subject shines with qualities that we had not even fully noticed… Rubbish like this has an extraordinary amount of luck in this image-dominated era. We all take photographs and fall victim to error, cliché and banality. The photo we took of our loved one does not light up at all and when eyes other than ours observe it, they will see the light is excessive, the image is slightly out of focus and that small physical defect, so evidently visible, is no service to the subject. But our enamoured eyes will never see that, as the beauty lies in the beholder. The truth is that taking a photo, or freezing an image, is essential for us to communicate, just like talking or writing. As often occurs with words and writing, most of have nothing interesting to say.

However, when it comes to Maria Mulas, you recognise that there are fortunate exceptions. In 2017, Ermanno Olmi was in Palazzo Morando for Obiettivo Milano, 200 portraits from the Maria Mulas archive, signing a tribute dedicated to photography titled: Images that rediscover the world. Perhaps a great heap of words are unnecessary. Few are able to transfer the exceptionality of their vision onto a photograph. Maria Mulas is one of these people.

This reserved character has never looked for striking situations in her personal life nor for her success. The fact that she was able to use her charm to meet and photograph at least two generations of artists from around the world is remarkable. Some would have built an empire with a tenth of her connections. She built human connections, as shown by the depth of her stunning portraits. I am reminded of the response Maria gave to a question during her beautiful (and rare) interview with Manuela De Leonardis in 2018 for Il Manifesto. The interviewer asked if Maria’s rigor and discipline were fruit of her collaboration with Giorgio Strehler. She replied, “Other peoples’ rigor certainly influenced me. I don’t know why, maybe I’m fragile (laughs). Although I’m not so sure. When I used to work with Strehler, he was always present and would make suggestions like, “Go over here, go over there, don’t care about what people think. If they say something, tell them to leave”. And I would reply, “Well, I’ll just leave then”. But he was always very polite with me. You need discipline in the world of theatre. There’s a starting time and arriving late is not an option, otherwise you miss everything. Taking photos in theatre settings made me much more timely and careful”.

 

Maria Mulas used this basic discipline to push the boundaries of reportage photography. Far away from external testimony yet rigorously and insistently dedicated, making the soul, passion and intimate nature of her chosen subject emerge. Whether it be fashion, theatre, art or exciting Milanese scenery, that which emerges from her dark room is the cell’s nucleus, her character, her history. There are countless examples of this lightning strike on film. Every observer can be left overwhelmed by the powerful simplicity behind these photographs.

 

I was struck by a black and white shot she took in one of the Metropolitan Museum’s halls in New York. A Jewish man sat on couch with four children, all with identical helmet haircuts. All five of them turn towards the lens in a lively and cheerful motion. Behind them was a big screen (over 5 metres) serving as a background to this liveliness: it’s the Rosa Bonheur’s Horse Fair. A group of foals are brought to the market in Boulevard de l’Hospital, Paris. The painter visited this market for two years, preparing sketches and dressed as a man to not attract attention, before presenting it to the Salòn in 1853.  Nothing in this 19th Century piece is stagnant and the same goes for the hall of the Metropolitan. We can feel that same juvenility as well as a poignant promise for the future.

 

Nothing is still in Maria Mulas’s vision, whether it be her colourful tributes to the base of Galla Placidia, Christ on a roof in New York, the tinted waves of a Venetian sunset or a beloved homage to Milan. Let yourselves be enchanted by Maria Mulas’s self-portrait taken in Piazza Duomo, Milan, taking advantage of the reflective surface of the panels built for the metro. Within the indefinite mixture of colours, the Milan Cathedral’s geometrically sharp edges become softened, the gallery becomes welcoming. Even one of the large, winding street lamps seems ready to hug the photographer’s image, rarefied behind the lens, as a child crosses the square.

 

This is her revealing vision, intuition surpassing form to magnify substance, the city’s naked character which Maria Mulas made her own. This is a reportage from a lover, who has the ability to transmit that love for all to see.

 

 

 Milan, 28th July 2021

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Works

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  1. ©Maria Mulas, Astrazione, Omaggio a Giuseppe Terragni, Milano 1979 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  2. ©Maria Mulas, Astrazione, Rotonda della Besana, Milano 1972 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  3. ©Maria Mulas, Omaggio a Magritte, Palazzo Reale Milano 1980 – cm 50x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  4. ©Maria Mulas, Prospettiva I, Milano 2002 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  5. ©Maria Mulas, Prospettiva II, Milano 2002 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  6. ©Maria Mulas Omaggio a Galla Placidia #1, Ravenna 1994 -  cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  7. ©Maria Mulas, Omaggio a Galla Placidia (rosso), Ravenna 1994 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  8. ©Maria Mulas, Omaggio a Galla Placidia (blu), Ravenna 1994 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  9. ©Maria Mulas, Omaggio a Galla Placidia (verde), Ravenna 1994 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su tela e legno

  10. ©Maria Mulas, Nuvole #1 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  11. ©Maria Mulas, Nuvole #2 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  12. ©Maria Mulas, Graffiti, Milano 1980 - cm 100x150  stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  13. ©Maria Mulas, Luce a mezzogiorno, 1990 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  14. ©Maria Mulas, Interno Mulas, Milano anni 70 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  15. ©Maria Mulas, Venezia astratta #1, 1998 – cm 1 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda sotto plexiglass

  16. ©Maria Mulas, Venezia Astratta #2, 1988 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  17. ©Maria Mulas, Venezia astratta #3, 1988 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  18. ©Maria Mulas, Uomo in movimento-Biennale di Venezia, Venezia 2001- cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  19. ©Maria Mulas, Installazione opera Dan Flavin #1, Palazzo Grassi Venezia 2000 - cm 80x120 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  20. ©Maria Mulas, Installazione opera Dan Flavin #2, Palazzo Grassi Venezia 2000 - cm 80x120 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  21. ©Maria Mulas, Omaggio alla Biennale di Venezia, Venezia 1995– cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  22. ©Maria Mulas, Centre Pompidou dittico, Parigi 1980 -  cm 50x140 1980 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  23. ©Maria Mulas, National Gallery, Londra 1980 – cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  24. ©Maria Mulas, Guggenheim Museum of New York, New York 1986 - cm 100x150

  25. ©Maria Mulas, Guggenheim Museum of New York (con opera di Claes Oldenburg), New York 1986 – cm 100x150

  26. ©Maria Mulas, MOMA, New York 1986  80x120

  27. ©Maria Mulas, Metropolitan, New York 1979 - cm 150x100 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  28. ©Maria Mulas, PS1 (con opera di Michelangelo Pistoletto), New York 1985 – cm 50x75 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  29. ©Maria Mulas, PS1 Alighiero Boetti 1985 #1, New York 1985 – cm 80x120 stampa fotografica sistema lambda montata su pannello mdf

  30. ©Maria Mulas, PS1 Alighiero Boetti 1985 #2, New York 1985 - cm 80x120 stampa fotografica sistema lambda montata su pannello mdf

  31. ©Maria Mulas, Boccioni, New York 1985 - cm 80x120 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  32. ©Maria Mulas, Manichino, 1978 – cm 120x80 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  33. ©Maria Mulas, Kitsch #1 Venezia 1995 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda montata su pannello mdf

  34. ©Maria Mulas, Kitsch #2, Venezia 1995 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  35. ©Maria Mulas, Kitsch #3, Venezia 1995 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  36. ©Maria Mulas, Zapping Marylin, 1981- cm 100x80 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  37. ©Maria Mulas, Marina Abramovic e Ulay in “Expansion in space”, Kassel 1977 - cm 100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  38. ©Maria Mulas, Christo, New York 1979 - cm 80x120 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  39. ©Maria Mulas, Jeff Koons and Ilona Staller, Venezia 1990 71x108 cm stampa fotografica sistema lambda sotto plexiglass

  40. ©Maria Mulas, Gilbert & George, Venezia 2009 – cm 80x120 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  41. ©Maria Mulas, Bruce Nauman, New Mexico 1984 - cm 75x100 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  42. ©Maria Mulas, Claes Oldenburg, Venezia 1984 - cm 75x100 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  43. ©Maria Mulas, L'imperatore e l'Artista (Luigi Ontani) - cm 75x100 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  44. ©Maria Mulas, Gina Pane e Lea Vergine – Mostra “Partitions/ Opere Multimedia 1984-1985”, PAC Milano 1986 - cm 80x120 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  45. ©Maria Mulas, Keith Haring, Rotonda della Besana Milano 1986 - cm 50x75 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  46. ©Maria Mulas, Giorgio De Chirico - Inaugurazione Bagni Misteriosi, Triennale di Milano 1973 - cm 50x 75 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  47. ©Maria Mulas, Lucio Amelio, Capri 1985 - cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  48. ©Maria Mulas, Lea Vergine, Milano 1984 - cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  49. ©Maria Mulas, Lea Vergine, Kassel 1977  - cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda montata su pannello mdf

  50. ©Maria Mulas, Gillo Dorfles, Milano 1986 – cm 75x100 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  51. ©Maria Mulas, Franco Parenti, Teatro Pier Lombardo, 1976 - cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su metallo e legno

  52. ©Maria Mulas, Nanni Moretti per Ecce Bombo, Cannes 1978 – cm 50x75 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  53. ©Maria Mulas, Omaggio a Piero della Francesca - cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  54. ©Maria Mulas, Omaggio al Pollaiolo - cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  55. ©Maria Mulas Autoritratto 1969-1979 – cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda montata su pannello mdf

  56. ©Maria Mulas, Autoritratto allo specchio, 1981 cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  57. ©Maria Mulas, Autoritratto in verde, 1998 cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  58. ©Maria Mulas Autoritratto in rosso - cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  59. ©Maria Mulas, Autoritratto in bianco e nero – cm 75x50 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

  60. ©Maria Mulas, Falso in movimento - Autoritratto con Duomo, Milano 1980, cm1100x150 stampa fotografica sistema lambda su gatorfoam

 

 

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Maria Mulas for Milan

by Paola Coltellacci

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It must have been theatre. Maria Mulas herself tells us how shooting in theatres for many years taught her to "pay attention to things". Paying attention to things certainly seems to be a peculiar characteristic of photography and also the root of all things done well, but for her attention is also linked to something else. Looking at her works, it is impossible not to notice how that formal rigor is always accompanied by a lightness of gaze and how the discipline of technique does not make her forget the desire to smile, to play. Even her more abstract works, such as those in Venice, or others apparently more neutral, such as those on the installation of Dan Flavin's work (one with a person moving to the right and another with a person moving to the left) testify to the presence of this playful element that the artist incessantly seeks and highlights for us. Above all, we notice it in the amused taste with which he creates works of quotations, (such as the homages to Piero della Francesca and Pollaiolo), portraits of artists (Ontani, Nauman, Oldenburg) and most of all the Self-portraits.

 

All artists establish a dialogue with their audience which, over time, learn to listen to their messages, even the subtle ones. In Maria Mulas's case, it is as if she were reminding us not to forget to smile. Perhaps her humour is almost unnoticeable, it's as if it were "under the radar": she expresses that gracefulness linked both to harmony and exactitude and to that respect which becomes empathy and which has won her the trust of the hundreds of artists who have let themselves be photographed by her.

 

It is as if with her we discovered that, not only the theatre, but the whole world is a place of wonders. Her attention stems from this curiosity, which distinguishes and keeps her research current, an inexhaustible curiosity that does not look sternly but wraps its object with kindness, courtesy and care. It is as if Maria manifests the common root of the two terms "curiosity" and "care", which can be traced back to "warming the heart".

 

 

 

 

 

Event Information

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The charity auction will be held by Sotheby's on 1 October 2021 at the PAC Padiglione d'arte contemporanea, via Palestro 14 Milan, starting at 6.30 pm.

If you are interested in the initiative and would like information about the works, please call the following number:

+(39) 338 911 8292 (Manuela Rosenthal)

Those who are unable to attend the auction in person can register their interest and bid at the contact details given.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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Security Measures (PAC)

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http://www.pacmilano.it/regole-daccesso/

 

̶ As of 6 August 2021, Green Passes must be presented with identification to gain access to the PAC. The Green Pass is obtained with COVID-19 vaccination or with a negative test (molecular or rapid antigenic) within the last 48 hours or with recovery from COVID-19 within the last six months. The provisions do not apply to children under 12 years of age and those exempt on the basis of appropriate medical certification. For further information www.dgc.gov.it

̶ The PAC is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:30 and Thursday until 22:30 (last entry one hour before closing)

̶ Access is limited and online booking is recommended.

̶ You must wear a mask and sanitize your hands with the sanitizing solutions available at the venue to enter the exhibition space.

̶ Your body temperature will be taken at the entrance. If your body temperature is 37.5 degrees or higher, you will not be allowed in to ensure the safety of all visitors and staff.

̶ The cloakroom service is suspended. We recommend that you only bring small bags, as it will not be possible to enter with helmets, backpacks or large bags.

̶ We recommend that you keep your distance (at least 1 metre from other people) in the rest areas and on the sightseeing route, and that you follow the routes indicated by signs and staff.

̶ Visitors are asked to sanitise their hands when using the toilets.

̶ Visitors are advised to dispose of any PPE (masks, gloves, etc.) in the bins provided.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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