Maria Lai. A Journey to America offers a profound exploration of Maria Lai’s (1919–2013) life and groundbreaking six-decade career. Featuring approximately 100 works, the retrospective traces her evolution from early landscapes of the 1950s to her later innovative creations, many being shown publicly and in the U.S. for the first time. Curated by Paola Mura, Artistic Director of Magazzino Italian Art, the exhibition underscores Lai’s enduring impact on contemporary art.
Lai’s career unfolded across a century of profound change, marked by her determination to carve out an independent artistic voice in a predominantly male domain. This journey often involved isolation and a deep sense of otherness. Born in Sardinia, Lai’s work is deeply rooted in the island’s traditions, culture, and landscapes while engaging with global artistic movements, including Arte Povera and American influences.
Structured into thematic sections, the exhibition begins with a timeline contextualizing Lai’s life and work within 20th- and 21st-century historical and artistic currents. Her early figurative paintings of Sardinian landscapes give way to the abstract works she carried on travels to Montreal and New York in 1968, a journey that marked a pivotal shift in her career.
In the 1970s, Lai transitioned from traditional mediums to thread and stitched canvases, with her Telai (Looms) taking center stage. Inspired by Sardinian weaving traditions, these three-dimensional works elevate the loom into a cultural and artistic symbol. A notable piece, La torre (The Tower), created in 1971 and revisited in 2001, reflects her response to global events like the September 11 attacks.
The exhibition also delves into her explorations of space and storytelling. Series like Geografie (Geographies) reimagine cosmis landscapes, while her Libri cuciti (Stitched Books) and Lenzuoli cuciti (Stitched Sheets) investigate the complexities of communication. Her Fiabe cucite (Sewn Fairytales) blend myth and archetype into a visual narrative.
A highlight is Lai’s relational art, particularly her 1981 project Legarsi alla montagna (Tying Oneself to the Mountain), one of Italy’s earliest examples of relational art. The project involved the residents of Ulassai connecting their homes to the surrounding mountains with a 16 miles blue denim ribbon, symbolizing unity and community. The exhibition presents it through the photographs by Piero Berengo Gardin, with contributions from Lai herself, and a film by Tonino Casula.
The exhibition concludes with Essere è tessere (To Be is to Weave), her final collective action in 2008. Realized in Aggius, Sardinia, the project combined textile creation with Walt Whitman’s poetry, emphasizing art’s communal essence. At nearly 90 years old, Lai reaffirmed her belief in art’s capacity to connect humanity.
Two accompanying films deepen the audience's understanding of Lai’s vision: Inventata da un dio distratto by Nicoletta Nesler and Marilisa Piga offers an intimate portrait of her creative process, while Stefano Scialotti’s Maria Lai. Assetata di Libertà explores the theme of freedom central to her life and work.
Through her art, Maria Lai bridges the local and universal. Maria Lai. A Journey to America invites audiences to reflect on her timeless insights into creativity, culture, and the shared human experience.
Maria Lai (1919–2013)
Maria Lai, one of Italy's most celebrated contemporary artists, was born in Ulassai, Sardinia. Her early life in this remote village, surrounded by rugged landscapes and rich oral traditions, profoundly influenced her artistic journey. Lai began drawing before she could write, using bold lines to narrate stories, laying the foundation for her lifelong exploration of storytelling and memory.
In the 1930s, Lai’s artistic potential blossomed under the mentorship of writer Salvatore Cambosu, whose teachings on rhythm and poetry shaped her creative approach. In 1939, she moved to Rome to study art, later continuing her education at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice under the sculptor Arturo Martini. His philosophies on voids and essence deeply influenced her work.
Initially rooted in figuration, Lai’s art evolved dramatically in the 1960s and 70’s as she embraced abstraction, experimenting with textiles, looms, and humble materials. Her journeys to America exposed her to avant-garde movements and indigenous traditions, enriching her practice with vibrant colors and cosmic themes.
Works like Tele cucite, Telai, Libri cuciti and Lenzuoli cuciti, Geografie, marked her transition into creating symbolic narratives that explored memory, identity, and humanity’s connection to the universe.
In the 1980s, Lai pioneered relational art with projects such as Legarsi alla montagna, where she used art to foster community engagement. Her Fiabe cucite, interwove myth and collective memory, solidifying her place in Italy’s avant-garde.
In her later years, Lai created large-scale installations and founded La Stazione dell’Arte museum in Ulassai, leaving a lasting legacy. Her works, celebrated globally in exhibitions like the Venice Biennale and Documenta, continue to inspire, bridging personal and collective narratives with universal themes of connection and resilience.
Exhibitions
Among the major recent exhibitions: Maria Lai. Ricucire il mondo (Musei Civici, Cagliari; MAN, Nuoro; Museo Stazione dell’Arte, Ulassai, 2014), L’arte ci prende per mano. Cento opere di Maria Lai dal 1942 al 2011 (MUSMA, Matera, 2014), Thread lines (Drawing Center; New York, 2014), Nel mezzo del mezzo (Museo Regionale Riso, Palermo, 2015), Women in Italian design (XXI Triennale di Milano, Milano, 2016), Documenta 14 (Documenta, Atene e Kassel, 2017), 57 Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte. VIVA ARTE VIVA (Biennale d’Arte, Venezia, 2017), Maria Lai. Il filo e l’infinito (Palazzo Pitti, Firenze, 2018), Maria Lai. Anno zero (Museo Novecento, Firenze, 2018), MARIA LAI. Tenendo per mano il sole (MAXXI, Roma, 2019-2020), Trama doppia. Maria Lai/Antonio Marras (Museo di Palazzo Lanfranchi, Matera, 2019), Opera Sola. Maria Lai (Musei Civici, Cagliari, 2019), Cucire il tempo (Pescherie di Giulio Romano, Palazzo Te, Mantova, 2021), L’arte di tessere la libertà. Maria Lai incontra la Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Città del Vaticano, 2022), Un filo nella notte (Certosa di San Martino, Napoli, 2022-2023), Maria Lai. La escritura tejida (Es Baluard Museu d’Art Contemporani de Palma, Palma di Maiorca, 2023), Maria Lai e Jorge Eielson. 100mila stelle (MAN, Nuoro, 2023), SOFT POWER (DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam, 2024), Penelope (Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, Roma, 2024-25).
Watch "Legare Collegare" by Tonino Casula, a film about "Legarsi alla Montagna" by Maria Lai
Watch the film about the exhibition by Domenico Palma
Press Release
Download the Press Release in English and in Italian
Press Reviews
Reserve tickets for the guided tour for members on January 18, 2025
Read "Il Sole 24 Ore: Maria Lai con un filo supera l’oceano" by Stefano Salis in Italian and in English
