SELECT PUBLICATIONS
Edited by V. Noel-Johnson
Giorgio de Chirico: 1924
Published to accompany the exhibition Giorgio de Chirico. 1924 (curated by V. Noel-Johnson, Museo Accorsi Ometto, Turin, 8 November 2024 - 2 March 2025) to mark the Surrealism centenary (1924-2024), this volume features circa 75 artworks (over 50 paintings and drawings by de Chirico dated 1921-1928, plus over 20 photographic portraits of Surrealists by Man Ray and Lee Miller) lent by museums, institutions and private collections. With an in-depth focus on the pivotal role that de Chirico played in the birth and early development of Surrealism (with his work of the 1910s shaping the trajectory of multiple Surrealist artists), the catalogue provides a critical reassessment of the Italian artist's complicated rapport with Breton and Eluard via numerous letters and manuscripts (1921-1925) that are included as full-page colour reproductions for the first time in 100 years.
The bilingual volume (Italian and English) includes essays by G. Casini, A.H. Merjian and V. Noel-Johnson.
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Silvana Editoriale, Milan
Published in November 2024
Edited by V. Noel-Johnson
Giorgio de Chirico: Metafisica continua
Published to accompany the exhibition Giorgio de Chirico. Metafisica continua (curated by V. Noel-Johnson, Galleria d'arte moderna, Palazzo Sarcinelli, Conegliano, 11 October 2023 - 17 March 2024), this volume features over 70 artworks (paintings, works on paper, sculpture and the Mythologie lithograph series of 1934). All of the artworks have been lent by Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico, which possesses the largest private collection of the artist's Neometaphysical period (1968 - c. 1975). On the eve of the forthcoming centenary of Surrealism (1924-2024), which was greatly inspired by de Chirico's early Metaphysical work of the 1910s, the publication explores de Chirico and the Surrealists' different views towards the notions of "copying" and "imitation", in order to provide greater clarity over their 1926 fallout, as well as a detailed analysis of André Breton's 1923-1924 commission for de Chirico to execute a replica of his "Disquieting Muses" (1918).
The volume includes essays by S. D'Angelosante, V. Noel-Johnson and E. Pontiggia.
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Grafiche Antiga, Treviso
Published in October 2023
Catalogue essay:
Giotto e de Chirico: la rivelazione del "mistero cosmico"
Catalogue essay for the exhibition Giotto e il Novecento, based on an idea by V. Sgarbi, curated by A. Taddia, MART, Rovereto, 8.12.2022 - 19.03.2023, Sagap Editori, Genoa, pp. 97-105.
This article provides an in-depth analysis of the influence that Giotto's art exerted on the early development of de Chirico’s work throughout his career from 1910 onwards.
Sagep Editori, Genoa
Published in November 2022
Edited by V. Noel-Johnson
Joan Miró: The Essence of Past and Present Things
This catalogue was published on occasion of the exhibition Joan Miro': The Essence of Past and Present Things (curated by V. Noel-Johnson, BAM - Musée des Beaux-Arts, Mons, Belgium, 8 October 2022 - 8 January 2023). Consituting the first major survey of Miró's work in Belgium since 1956, this publication explores the Catalan artist’s work parallel to his traditional artistic formation and life-long rapport with the art of the past, an active interest that ranges from Primitivism, Romanesque art, the Italian and Dutch Renaissance, the 17th century Dutch ‘Golden Age’, Japanese painting and calligraphy, to modern Fauvism and Cubism.
It includes nearly 100 loans and numerous reproductions of vintage photographs and other works that cover the artist’s entire career (starting with his earliest known painting: a landscape of 1908) with loans secured from prestigious public and private international collections such as Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró (Palma de Mallorca) and Fundació Joan Miró (Barcelona).
Published by Snoeck Publications, Ghent (separate editions in English, French and Flemish), the volume features essays by A. H. Merjian, V. Noel-Johnson and D. Ozertov.
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Edited by B. Avanzi & V. Noel-Johnson
Picasso, de Chirico e Dalì:
Dialogo con Raffaello
Picasso, de Chirico e Dalì: Dialogo con Raffaello, exh. cat., curated by B. Avanzi and V. Noel-Johnson, MART, Rovereto, 2 May - 29 August 2021 (Italian edition).
Published on occasion of the exhibition, featuring over 100 artworks lent by prestigious international collections, the catalogue Picasso, de Chirico e Dalì: Dialogo con Raffaello constitutes the first in-depth study of how all three modern masters were inspired by Raphael in wholly different ways, the Old Master's work providing an inescapable example of grace, balance and renewed classicism. Originally organised to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Raphael's death (1520-2020), the catalogue consists of eight sections, five of which are theme-based: The School of Athens, The Fire in the Borgo, Maternity: Sacred and Profane, The Marriage of the Virgin, and La Fornarina. It also features texts by V. Sgarbi, B. Avanzi, V. Noel-Johnson, L. Moni and D. Ferrari.
It contains reproductions of all exhibits including loans from Musée National Picasso (Paris), Musée d'Orsay (Paris), Fundaciò Gala e Salvador Dalì (Figueres), The Dalì Museum (St. Petersburg, Florida), Musée Ingres Bourdelle (Montauban), The Uffizi (Florence), Museo del Novcento (Milan), Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (Rome) and Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico (Rome).
Published in April 2021
Silvana Editore, Milan
Journal article:
De Chirico in the René Gaffé collection & the role of E.L.T. Mesens (Brussels - London)
«Metaphysical Art. The de Chirico Journals. Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico», n. 19-20, Maretti Editore, Falciano, December 2020, pp. 43-81.
This article provides an in-depth analysis of de Chirico’s rapport with the Belgian collector, critic and patron of Belgian Surrealism, René Gaffé. By establishing Gaffé’s interest in de Chirico much earlier than previously known through correspondence with Dadaist’s Tristan Tzara, Noel-Johnson reconstructs details regarding Gaffé’s impressive collection of works by or attributed to de Chirico, which were acquired between c. 1915 and the early 1930s. Gaffé’s professional rapport with fellow Belgian E.L.T. Mesens, the gallerist and artist who championed Surrealism in both Belgium and the UK, is also explored in detail, with recently-discovered correspondence located at the Getty Research Institute (LA) shedding new light on the behind-the-scene intricacies of the Belgian-British art world, including the role Gaffé and Mesens played in The International Surrealist Exhibition (London, June 1936) and Chirico – Picasso (Zwemmer Gallery, London, July 1937), two shows that launched and subsequently helped popularise de Chirico’s Metaphysical imagery in the UK.
Maretti Editore, Falciano
Published in December 2020
Catalogue essay:
'Le voyant': analyse des liens entre René Gaffé et Giorgio de Chirico
Giorgio de Chirico. Aux origines du surréalisme belge. Magritte-Delvaux-Graverol, exh. cat., curated by L. Neve, BAM (Beaux-Arts Mons), Mons, in collaboration with Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, 16 February - 2 June 2019 (French edition).
Éditions Mardaga, Brussels
Published in February 2019
Edited by V. Noel-Johnson & M. Marzetti, in collaboration with D. Des Islets, M. Foster & L. Possati
Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy:
Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool
This volume was published on occasion of the exhibition Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy: Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool (curated by V. Noel-Johnson, Helly Nahmad Gallery, New York, 9 May - 29 July 2023). Featuring over 60 artworks lent by prestigious museums, institutions and private collections, the volume explores the work of Kay Sage (American, 1898-1963) and Yves Tanguy (French-American, 1900-1955), two eminent Surrealist artists who married in 1940. Inspired by Sage’s 1947 painting Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool, which references their seventh wedding anniversary, the richly-illustrated catalogue explores the different ways in which their personal and artistic trajectories gave rise to a reciprocal and dynamic exchange of ideas via creative osmosis, as emphasised by the silent dialogue generated by their respective poetic titles. As one of the few women Surrealists, particular emphasis is placed on Sage and lesser known aspects of her life and work, including her poetry, the key role she played in co-founding The Society for the Preservation of European Culture in 1939 (that enabled artists to escape Paris and travel to New York during WW2), as well as her input in supporting Tanguy’s work and safeguarding his legacy.
The publication includes essays by A. H. Merjian, V. Noel-Johnson and S. Robeson-Miller.
Skira Editore, Milan
Published in June 2023
Edited by V. Noel-Johnson
Lee Miller - Man Ray:
Fashion, Love, War
Published on occasion of the exhibition Lee Miller - Man Ray: Fashion, Love, War (curated by V. Noel-Johnson, Palazzo Franchetti, Venice, 5 November 2022 - 10 April 2023) in collaboration with the Lee Miller Archives (East Sussex, UK), the volume includes reproductions of over 140 photographs and artworks by Lee Miller and Man Ray lent by the Lee Miller Archives (East Sussex, UK) and Fondazione Marconi (Milan). The catalogue seeks to reassess the couple's personal and professional relationship, which started in 1929. Typically overshadowed by the better-known Man Ray, the show examines Lee Miller's multi-faceted career including her early modelling career at "Vogue" (1927-1929) and the years 1929-1932 when she was Man Ray’s apprentice, assistant, artistic collaborator, model, muse and lover. As well as exploring points of contact in their work of 1929-1932, the volume also analyses Lee Miller’s career as an independent photographer in Paris and New York, her Surrealist-influenced photos of the South of France and Egypt in the late 1930s, and her celebrated Second World War fashion assignments and war reportage.
Separate English and Italian editions feature essays by A. Bouhassane, V. Noel-Johnson and R. Penrose.
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Skira Editore, Milan
Published in November 2023
Fulvio Roiter:
High-Rise New York
Edited by V. Noel-Johnson
The present volume accompanies the exhibition curated by V. Noel-Johnson in collaboration with Fondazione Fulvio Roiter, held at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, NYU, New York, 10 September 2021 - 27 May 2022. Supported by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura of New York and under the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy in New York. Accompanying catalogue published by Skira, Milan (English/Italian edition).
Organised to mark the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, the present volume Fulvio Roiter: High-Rise New York is a celebration of the city and people of New York. Consisting of 60 colour photographs taken over the course of 1984-1998 by the internationally-acclaimed Italian photographer Fulvio Roiter (Meolo 1926 – Venice 2016), they collectively capture such aforementioned traits and qualities – beauty, strength, resilience and hope - with a sense of poignant immediacy and timeless elegance. They recall a New York that once was, its instantly recognisable skyline irreparably and arbitrarily altered by events that unfolded just a few years thereafter. Fulvio Roiter: High-Rise New York is not, however, a nostalgic nod to that past. As New York emerges from yet another life-changing event caused by the ongoing international pandemic of Covid-19, Roiter’s intimate portrait of New York and its inhabitants stands as a stoic reminder of life after death, of light after darkness.
Featuring texts by F. Di Michele, F. Finotti, S. Albertini, J. Roiter, and V. Noel-Johnson.
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SKIRA Editore, Milan
December 2021
Edited by V. Noel-Johnson
Giorgio de Chirico:
il volto della Metafisica
(The Changing Face of Metaphysical Art)
Listed in My Modern Met's
"Top 10 of Art Books 2019"
Giorgio de Chirico. Il volto della Metafisica (The Changing Face of Metaphysical Art), exh. cat., curated by V. Noel-Johnson, Palazzo Ducale, Genoa, 30 March - 1 September 2019 (Italian and English editions).
Published on occasion of the centenary of de Chirico's so-called stylistic volte-face of 1919, this publication supports the revisionist stance that the artist's post-1918 changes in style, technique, subject matter and palette form part of a sophisticated evolution of his understanding of metaphysics: una metafisica continua.
Featuring revisionist essays and new research by S. Bartolena, F. Benzi, D. Ferrari, A. H. Merjian, V. Noel-Johnson and D. Spagnoletto, together with over 200 reproductions, introductory texts to the 'Catalogue of Works', illustrated biography, and a comprehensive selection of de Chirico's own essays, the publication provides an up-to-date critical appraisal about the artist's work, with the aim of overturning some of the stubborn - and often wrongly attributed - rumours that have long dogged his art.
Published in March 2019
SKIRA Editore, Milan
Victoria Noel-Johnson
De Chirico and the United Kingdom (c.1916-1978)
Nominated for "William MB Berger Prize for British Art History 2018"
Following a decade's worth of research, this book establishes the fundamental role that the UK played throughout the artist’s career, as documented by over 550 documents sourced from 50 international Archives. Published in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico (English edition, hardback, pp. 831).
“This comprehensive and informative book is set to be an essential source of reference for any future major study of de Chirico’s place in twentieth-century art” («The Burlington Magazine», London, Aug. 2018)
Published in October 2017
Maretti Editore, Falciano
Expertise and editorial coordination, including transcription section. Article:
Giorgio de Chirico and Alcestis.
The story behind the portrait
Published in 2016
E. Bolognesi, Alcestis: A Ferrara Love Story. Giorgio de Chirico and Antonia Bolognesi, in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico (English edition).
Maretti Editore, Falciano
Published in 2016
Journal article:
De Chirico’s Formation in Florence (1910-1911): The Discovery of the B.N.C.F Library Registers
«Metaphysical Art. The de Chirico Journals. Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico», n. 11-13 (English edition); La formazione di de Chirico a Firenze (1910-1911): La scoperta dei registri della B.N.C.F, «Metafisica. Quaderni della Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico», n. 11-13 (Italian edition).
Maretti Editore, Falciano
Published in 2014
Catalogue essay:
All the world's a stage. The dechirican protagonist & his architectural surroundings (1910-1929)
de Chirico. O sentimento da arquitetura. Obras da Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico, exh. cat., curated by M. D’Alfonso, touring exhibition in Brazil (Porto Alegre, Belvedere – Nova Lima, and São Paulo), 8 December 2011 – 20 September 2012, Fundação Iberê Camargo, Porto Alegre, 2011.
Fundação Iberê Camargo, Porto Alegre
Published in 2011
Catalogue essay:
Living Nature.
On the Threshold of Existence
La natura secondo de Chirico (Nature according to de Chirico), exh. cat., curated by A. Bonito Oliva, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, 9 April - 11 July 2010 (English and Italian editions).
Federico Motta Editore, Milan
Published in 2010
Catalogue essay & 'Catalogue of Works' introductive texts:
De Chirico and the Great Masters
Giorgio de Chirico. Metaphysical visions, exh. cat., curated by G. Mercurio in collaboration with V. Noel-Johnson and T. Goryacheva, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, 23 April - 23 July 2017 (Russian-English and Italian editions).
Antiga Edizioni, Treviso
Published in April 2017
Expertise and editorial coordination, including transcription section. Article:
Giorgio de Chirico e Alceste.
Storia di un ritratto
E. Bolognesi, Alceste. Una storia d’amore ferrarese. Giorgio de Chirico e Antonia Bolognesi, in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico (Italian edition).
Maretti Editore, Falciano
Published in 2015
Academic consultation and editing of the publication:
Giorgio de Chirico. Catalogo ragionato dell'opera sacra
G. Gazzaneo and E. Pontiggia, Giorgio de Chirico. Catalogue ragionato dell'arte sacra (Giorgio de Chirico. Catalogue raisonné of his sacred art). Technical descriptions by S. Vacanti. Project by Fondazione Crocevia in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico.
Silvana Editoriale, Milan
Published in 2012
Editorial coordination of the publication:
Giorgio de Chirico. La Casa-museo
This publication about the de Chirico House-museum (Spanish Steps, Rome) contains a selection of essays (S. D'Angelosante, P. Picozza, A. Porcella and S. Tusi); reproductions of personal photographs conserved in Archivio Giorgio de Chirico; as well as illustrations of 60 important artworks (Fondazione de Chirico collection), each accompanied by a detailed technical description (B. D'Ambrosio and S. Vacanti) (Italian-English edition).
Electa Editore, Milan
Published in 2009