Pasquarosa Marcelli (1896 - 1973), known simply as 'Pasquarosa', was one of the first Italian artists to have a solo exhibition in London, during the 1920s. A century later, her work returns to the capital in a new show featuring some 50 paintings and drawings on loan from Rome’s Archivio Nino e Pasquarosa Bertoletti and other private collections.
Pasquarosa Marcelli (1896 - 1973), known simply as 'Pasquarosa', was one of the first Italian artists to have a solo exhibition in London, during the 1920s. A century later, her work returns to the capital in a new show featuring some 50 paintings and drawings on loan from Rome’s Archivio Nino e Pasquarosa Bertoletti and other private collections.
Born in Anticoli Corrado, Pasquarosa moved to Rome as a young woman to work as an artist’s model, where she met her future husband (the painter Nino Bertoletti) and became part of an artistic coterie. Between 1913 and 1914, the couple established a studio in Villa Strohl-fern where, despite never having had any formal training, Pasquarosa began to paint. She exhibited her work for the first time at the Roman Secessionist exhibition of 1915, achieving unexpected success. From that point on critics began to praise the spontaneous and original character of her imagery, with one describing her as a “phenomenon”.
She travelled a great deal during the inter-war years, visiting cities such as Paris, Venice and Madrid, and came into contact with some of the key figures of the artistic and cultural establishment of the day, including Luigi Pirandello, Giorgio de Chirico and Renato Guttuso. During the late 1920s, she had a solo exhibition at London’s Arlington Gallery – something highly unusual for a female Italian artist at that time.
Get a National Art Pass and explore Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
You'll see more art and your membership will help museums across the UK
National Art Pass offers available at Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Visitor information
Address
39a Canonbury Square, London, Greater London, N1 2AN
020 7704 9522
Opening times
Wed – Sat, 11am – 6pm Sun, 12– 5pm.
Exclusions and safety measures
Closed Easter Sunday. Check online for opening times over the Christmas period.
Visitor information
What else is on at Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Exhibitions nearby
The more you see, the more we do.
The National Art Pass lets you enjoy free entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, while raising money to support them.