Alberto Burri e il Teatro

The Festival dei Due Mondi presents a new publication issued by the Fondazione Burri: Alberto Burri e il Teatro, by Rita Olivieri (2026).

Alberto Burri’s theatre - his “paintings” conceived for the stage - finds expression in a series of significant works that represent an innovative contribution to the performing arts landscape of the latter half of the twentieth century. These include the stage designs for two ballets, Spirituals per Orchestra and November Steps; for the play L’Avventura d’un povero cristiano; for the opera Tristano e Isotta; as well as his architectural designs for theatre spaces, among them the Teatro Continuo and the Teatro Scultura.

In her study, Rita Olivieri reconstructs both the history of each individual production and, from a behind-the-scenes perspective, the relationships between the artist and choreographers, playwrights, directors, architects, and stage practitioners. Throughout the analysis, Burri’s complete oeuvre - one of the highest expressions of twentieth-century art, encompassing painting, sculpture, architecture, and graphic work - serves as the unifying leitmotif of the entire volume.