YOUR GUIDE
TO MUSEO
GIANSONE
«Sculpture is not a profession, it is a necessity of the spirit.»
Welcome to the artistic universe of Mario Giansone[cite: 1]. This space is not merely an exhibition venue, but a sensory and emotional journey through matter[cite: 1].
Who was Mario Giansone?
Mario Giansone (1915–1997) was one of the most original figures in 20th-century Italian art[cite: 1]. Aloof from the commercial trends of the art market, Giansone dedicated his entire life to the pursuit of pure form through sculpture[cite: 1]. His work aligns with Cubism and Futurism, focusing on the study of movement and a constant investigation into the drama and beauty of the human condition[cite: 1].
Mario Giansone's artistic universe revolves around five major recurring themes[cite: 1]:
- War: the representation of its brutality, rendered in battle scenes as well as through tanks, firing squads, and deportations[cite: 1].
- Technology: admiration for the technological marvels that characterized his century, evident in depictions of racetracks, overtaking maneuvers, or airports at night, as well as in representations of helicopters, airplanes, ships, and cars[cite: 1].
- Intimism: expressing a delicate intimism, on the other hand, are works portraying affection, such as the kiss, great mothers, female figures, lovers, and cats[cite: 1].
- Music: particularly jazz, with piano concerts, graphic ideograms, ballet dancers, and models[cite: 1].
- Transcendence: an intimism that frequently gives way to a journey toward spirituality[cite: 1].
Guide to the Rooms and Exhibition Path
In keeping with the artist's free spirit, the path does not impose a rigid direction or a chronological timeline[cite: 1]. Giansone himself preferred not to date his works, precisely to avoid confining them within a forced chronological narrative: for him, art had to speak for itself, beyond time[cite: 1].
However, if you prefer a guide, we suggest a room-by-room itinerary to discover the main themes of his research[cite: 1].
The Atrium: The Start of the Journey
The atrium welcomes visitors by immediately introducing the theoretical and plastic cornerstones of Giansone's art, blending the monumentality of stone, dynamic experimentation, and early research[cite: 1].
Center – Metamorphosis or Sofa Woman (Metamorfosi o Donna Divano): dominates the central space of the atrium with its generous, enveloping, and geometrically synthesized forms[cite: 1]. Precisely because of its exceptional evocative power, suggesting a profound sense of universal protection, the work was long erroneously known as The Great Mother (La Grande Madre), becoming associated solely with concepts of motherhood and fertility[cite: 1]. The Great Mother is, in fact, the title of another sculpture by Giansone, very similar in line but created on a smaller scale, which is also on display in the museum[cite: 1]. Recent archival discoveries have thus restored the correct historical-critical identity to the monumental sculpture in the atrium: its true title is Sofa Woman or Metamorphosis[cite: 1]. Crafted in Portuguese pink marble, the original composition conceived by the artist also included a dark serpentine element, which is unfortunately lost today[cite: 1].
Left – The Kinetic Works (Il Karma and L'Orma): on this side, visitors encounter Giansone's experimentation with movement[cite: 1]. Il Karma (Karma) and L'Orma (The Trace) are sculptures designed to dialogue with space and the viewer's movement[cite: 1]. Through ingenious structures and geometric interlocks, these works create an illusion of continuous change, symbolizing the passage of time, human actions, and the indelible mark humans leave behind[cite: 1].
Right – Early Works and Great Theories: this section documents the artist's first steps and the birth of his expressive language[cite: 1]. It presents the foundational "tangent theory," where form is defined by the intersection of ideal lines brushing the object, and the "modular theory," a geometric system where the entire work develops from the repetition and variation of a single mathematical and proportional "module"[cite: 1]. Opposite, we find two stone works, L'Anima (The Soul) and La lezione di anatomia (The Anatomy Lesson)[cite: 1]. The former represents an intimate and deep conceptual structure, defined by the artist as the entity that "protects and comforts"[cite: 1]. The latter is a three-dimensional manifesto of the vast scientific culture that supported every single creation of the Master, referencing his two years as a professor of Anatomy at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin[cite: 1].
Dark Room
(to the left of Metamorphosis or Sofa Woman in the atrium)
A light-controlled environment of great emotional impact[cite: 1]. In this room, light is not a mere utility, but a genuine component of the sculpture: skillfully projected onto the works, it models forms, enhances volumes, and gives expression to shadows, allowing visitors to perceive the intimate essence of Giansone's thought[cite: 1].
Bronzes Room
(continuing past the Early Works and Great Theories)
This space celebrates the vigor, rhythm, and complexity of cast metal, but above all, it is the place where Giansone's visceral passion for jazz music visually resonates[cite: 1]. For the Master, jazz was not mere background music, but a philosophy of life, a controlled improvisation that matched his way of sculpting perfectly[cite: 1]. The vast majority of bronzes displayed in this room are dedicated to this universe: figures of saxophonists, double bassists, and drummers merge into a dynamic whole with their instruments[cite: 1]. Giansone achieves the feat of defying the weight of heavy metal, translating the fluidity of notes, syncopated rhythms, and the energy of jam sessions into a three-dimensional interplay of solids and voids[cite: 1].
This room also features a tapestry depicting technicians working on the Mariner IV probe launched toward Mars in 1954[cite: 1]. Giansone created five tapestries woven to his design by the renowned Arazzeria Scassa in Asti: they possess the originality of being displayed reversed, based on a brilliant intuition of his[cite: 1]. Indeed, by trimming thread ends at varying heights on the back of the tapestry with scissors, the artist imparted a sculptural depth and tridimensionality alongside tonal color effects—qualities completely absent in standard tapestries[cite: 1].
Marbles Room
(to the right of the Bronzes Room)
Dedicated to "direct carving" on marble, granite, and hard stones[cite: 1]. In this room, emotion arises from visual contact with stone surfaces that retain the marks of immediate "carving" and the artist's manual labor[cite: 1].
Among the absolute masterpieces preserved in this space, visitors can admire iconic works such as La donna della domenica (The Sunday Woman), the famous and sinuous profiles of Giansone's renowned cats, the intense passion expressed in Il bacio (The Kiss), and the extraordinary plastic translation of the Modern Jazz Quartet, which Giansone likely saw during their first Italian tour at a concert in Turin in 1956[cite: 1].
Opera Omnia
(after the Marbles Room)
The philosophical and conceptual heart and the climax of the entire exhibition[cite: 1]. This room hosts the total synthesis of Mario Giansone's artistic and spiritual vision[cite: 1]. An organic and spectacular core of works arranged in an order that narrates the evolution of his thought and his relentless search for the harmony hidden in the universe, leading the visitor on a journey toward transcendence[cite: 1].
Drawings and Paintings Room
(opposite the Marbles Room)
While Mario Giansone's fame is inextricably linked to the monumentality of his stone, marble, and bronze sculptures, his vast graphic production represents an intimate and extraordinary chapter of his evolution[cite: 1]. It was especially in his later years that drawing assumed a central role: when physical strength no longer allowed him to endure the monumental exertion of the chisel and the hand-to-hand struggle with raw matter, Giansone did not stop creating, but transferred his expressive urgency onto paper[cite: 1].
The Jewelry Panel: Although the physical pieces are not in the museum, their reproduction on display tells of Giansone's genius in goldsmithing[cite: 1]. For him, jewelry was not mere adornment, but a true "wearable sculpture" in miniature, capable of maintaining the same geometric power as his larger works[cite: 1].
The Sculpture Il Sorpasso (Overtaking): At the exact center of the room stands this work, serving as a perfect counterpoint to the surrounding drawings[cite: 1]. Il Sorpasso masterfully embodies Giansone's obsession with dynamism: here, stone captures the tension, speed, and energy of movement in a single, highly elegant synthesis of volumes[cite: 1].
Giuseppe Floridia Room
(after the Drawings and Paintings Room, up the ramp)
This room is dedicated to the memory of Giuseppe Floridia, historical friend of the artist and promoter of the Foundation[cite: 1]. It is a fitting tribute to the man who, alongside his family, dedicated immense effort, passion, and material resources to safeguarding, studying, and promoting Giansone's legacy, making the birth of this museum and the return of the Master's genius to the public possible[cite: 1].
The Mark and Subtraction: The Woodcuts of Mario Giansone[cite: 1]
If in monumental sculpture Mario Giansone sought form by carving stone or shaping metal, it is in woodcuts—the ancient art of engraving on wooden blocks—that his graphic genius finds its highest expression of synthesis[cite: 1].
From blocks of walnut, rosewood, padauk, azobé, and ebony come the woodcuts displayed in the Floridia room on single sheets: they are among the largest in art history[cite: 1]. They represent a fundamental part of his graphic production, closely linked to his sculptural work through the use of materials and research into form and mark[cite: 1]. Carved in hard and precious woods, the prints depict war, jazz concerts, dance, figures, and abstract forms, maximizing the line, which also serves as the starting point for the modular and tangent theories developed by the Master[cite: 1].
For Giansone, woodcutting was never an academic exercise or a two-dimensional compromise, but a natural extension of his identity as a sculptor[cite: 1]. The process, after all, is identical: it proceeds by subtraction[cite: 1]. Every groove gouged with gouge and burin into the wood matrix removes matter to create a void; a void that, upon printing on paper, will reject the ink and become pure light[cite: 1].
If you want to know more…
[cite: 1]The Former Cotton Mill: An Industrial Archaeology Setting
[cite: 1]Museo Giansone stands within an extraordinary architectural setting: a late 19th-century cotton mill, the former Fratelli Bosio Knitwear Factory[cite: 1]. This building, once a symbol of the working-class and manufacturing history of the Susa Valley, is a perfect example of industrial archaeology[cite: 1]. The large windows, high ceilings, and iron structures that once housed looms and the bustle of workers now provide natural light and monumental space that enhance the volumes and cuts of the sculptures[cite: 1].
The Birth of the Museum
[cite: 1]The museum was born from the determination and tenacity of Giuseppe Floridia and several friends, who founded the Mario Giansone Foundation to preserve the artist's immense heritage and give it a permanent home[cite: 1]. The choice to regenerate an industrial space perfectly reflects the Master's philosophy: a place where manual labor, effort, precision, and the transformation of raw material were at the center of daily life for decades, just as occurred, day after day, in the sculptor's studio[cite: 1].
Goodbye and enjoy your exploration!
[cite: 1]We thank you for visiting Museo Giansone and for sharing this extraordinary journey through art, matter, and memory with us[cite: 1].
Our museum is just one of many tiles that make up the wonderful mosaic of the Susa Valley[cite: 1]. We invite you to continue your itinerary to discover the other wonders this unique territory has to offer: from ancient paths of faith and history, such as the majestic Sacra di San Michele and Novalesa Abbey, to the breathtaking views of our natural parks and charming medieval villages[cite: 1].
Your opinion matters to us
[cite: 1]Before you leave, please scan the QR Code located to the left of the Ticket Office with your smartphone[cite: 1]. Leave a comment, thought, or suggestion about your visit[cite: 1]. Your feedback helps us grow and share Mario Giansone's extraordinary legacy with an ever-growing audience[cite: 1].
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