A Closer Look - Episode 3: Guttuso’s Vucciria

In this episode, Dr Kathleen Olive talks with Limelight publisher Robert Veel about Renato Guttuso’s monumental work, La Vucciria.

Guttuso, a Sicilian painter, was one of the most significant twentieth-century Italian artists. He painted this work in 1974, and it’s a culmination of his skills as a still-life painter that would even see him illustrate the first edition of Elizabeth David’s Italian Food.

In La Vucciria, the longer we look, the more we go beyond the abundance and sensuous pleasures of a Palermo marketplace, and begin to understand more about the Sicily of Guttuso’s lifetime.

If you’re not familiar with this work, zoom in on all the detail at Google Art Project.

Dr Kathleen Olive

Dr Kathleen Olive is one of Australia’s best-known cultural tour leaders, with over fifteen years’ experience leading tours to Western Europe, North America, Australasia and Japan. 

Kathleen is particularly known for her expertise in Italy, and she holds a PhD in Italian Studies from the University of Sydney. She lived and studied in Italy for a number of years, has published her research in highly-regarded academic journals, and speaks fluent Italian. 
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