May 2011
‘THE EXHIBITION OF JOY’: ROGATCHI’S BLUES IN FLORENCE
On May 4th and May 5th, 2011, ROGATCHI’S BLUES, the inaugural exhibition of Michael Rogatchi’s new art series, The Life of Two of Us and Melody for Two have had a place in Florence, Italy, in a joint project of The Rogatchi Foundation and The Baglioni Hotels Group (www.baglionihotels.com).
The art work consisting of 16 large oil canvases and 6 original drawings in ink and pastel, all resolved in deep ultra-marine colour, is featuring three main themes: Florence, Music and Love. The series were created and produced by Michael Rogatchi in a condensed period of time between the autumn of 2010 and spring of 2011 in Finland and Italy, primarily. The new series has been called by art critics ‘a very impressive body of work’, and ‘the exhibition of joy’.
Two consequent events, Private View and the Vernissage, were extremely well attended by the distinguished public including well known public figures and top officials of Florence, honourable guests from Rome, Milan and Venice, distinguished diplomats from various countries, journalists and art critics, and renowned public figures coming specifically to attend the events from the USA, the UK, France, Belgium and Finland.
Among them were MEP Hannu Takkula, prominent member of the European Parliament Culture, Media and Education Committee; champion for human rights Harry Wu, the founder and the Executive Director of the Laogai Research Foundation (Washington, DC); well known writer Judith Harris; famous actress and theatre director Maija-Liisa Marton, and many others.
During the opening ceremony, MEP Hannu Takkula who is also a member of The Rogatchi Foundation International Advisory Board, has endorsed three charity projects which are facilitated through the inaugural exhibition in Florence: relief to Japan in the aftermath of the Fukushima catastrophe, participation in OrphanAid project in Africa , and developing Orphan Stipendium in Ukraine.
Senior Vice President of tThe Baglioni Hotels Group Mr Luca Magni has also emphasised the charity contribution in the ongoing joint project which he has described as ‘increasingly important element for the Group’s public policies’.
Writer Judith Harris, well known art critic, curator of successful series of major exhibitions in the USA on Pompeii and its culture, has analysed Michael Rogatchi’s art work from a historic perspective of visual arts, and attributed Michael’s creativity and spirituality, and ‘unusual depth of his works’ to the diversity of his life and career. In her opening remarks, Judith Harris called The Life of Two of Us ‘a magical, amazing, strong and powerful work of art’.
The curator of the inaugural exhibition Dr Inna Rogatchi shared with the audience the story behind the project, and explained why these art works have been chosen to be exhibited in Florence and namely, at the Palazzo Ciofi -Jacometti, which truly is a culturally unique place, and one of the best preserved and restored gems of late baroque in Florence.
The artist Michael Rogatchi told some personal insights on his new work, and also did tell the public about a strong bond that the Rogatchi family has developed with many of their colleagues in the arts world-wide during almost 25 years of their focused and versatile international culture charity activities.
Mr Massimo Bartolozzi, well-known art expert and auctioneer in Florence, masterly led successful art charity auction at the Vernissage. All proceeds from the auction went to the International Japan Relief.
Spring Awakening (Woman in the Red Hat), one of the most distinctive works in the new series, has been designated by the artist for the charity sale, with proceeds going in an equal portions to two charities helping orphans: OrphanAid in Africa, and The Rogatchi Foundation Orphan Stipendium in Ukraine.
ROGATCHI’s BLUES exhibition is on the display at Palazzo Ciofi-Jacometti in Florence from May through December 2011.