Politeama Garibaldi/Grande Riunione Pugilistica Degli Assi
Artist
Giuseppe Latini
1903 - 1988
Printer
I.G.A.P., Roma
Italy
Date1941
Dimensions54 1/2 x 39 in. (138.4 x 99.1 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LineGift of Peter A. Blatz
Object numberPH.132
DescriptionGiuseppe Latini’s design advertises a boxing match at the grand 19th-century neoclassical Politeama Garibaldi Theater in Palermo, Sicily, in July 1941. This simlple illustration focued on the two figures in the ring points to the immense popularity of the sport under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini between 1922 and 1943. The names of the boxers are not supplied but it is possible that one of them is the champion Primo Carnera; he became an Italian hero during the ‘30s and ‘40s and his bouts at venues around the world effectively asserted the power of the regime. The Roman numerals "XIX" here denote the 19th year of the Era Fascista, the official calendar used under Mussolini; 1922 was designated as year I. The use of Roman numerals was part of a wider effort, evident in the art, architecture, and language of the period, in which Mussolini sought to establish his legitimacy and status by evoking his connection to the great Roman empire of antiquity. This calendar was largely abandoned after Mussolini’s fall from power in 1943. On View
Not on view
