Zefirelli. Theater Designs

Franco Zefirelli is undoubtedly one of the most famous and popular film directors in the world. Zefirelli’s multifaceted creative nature harks back to the Renaissance ideal of the universal man. The Italian film director and set designer served equally all the performing arts: theatre, opera, cinema.

Zefirelli, who had studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, usually designed his own sets and costumes for the productions he directed. In designing the sets for a spectacle, he did not limit himself to rough sketches with instructions for the actual implementation of the sets, but, rather, he produced a sensitive and accomplished work of painting in its own right. He comfortably quoted various historical styles depending on the period and style of the production in question. The complete series of his set “paintings” reflects a distinct Zefirelli style as demonstrated in the exhibition held at the National Gallery, which featured works of painting, stage maquettes, costumes and jewellery designed by himself and worn by great actors in his legendary productions.

Exhibition Curator: Efi Agathonikou, Curator at the National Gallery of Greece

Sponsor: Τoyota Hellas