# Marisa Mori

Marisa Mori (March 9, 1900 – March 6, 1985) was an Italian painter and printmaker. She was one of the few female artists in the Futurism movement.

## Early life and education

Marisa Mori was born in Florence as Maria Luisa Lurini. Her father, Mario Lurini, was working for Fondiaria-Sai, an insurance company. Her mother, Edmea Bernini, was a distant descendant of sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. She had one older brother, Gastone Lurini, who died early on in World War I. In 1918 the family moved to Turin, where Marisa was encouraged to take up art by family friend and artist Leonardo Bistolfi. In 1920 she married Mario Mori, a poet and journalist, and decided to adopt his surname. In 1922 their son, Franco, was born. Mori separated from her husband and requested a legal separation in 1924 but would later return to him for a short period of time in 1932 due to family pressure. She enrolled in a private college founded and directed by Felice Casorati, attending from 1925 to 1931. In 1926 she exhibited her work in a group show at Fondazione Palazzo Bricherasio with other fellow students, including Nella Marchesini, Daphne Mabel Maugham, Paola Levi-Montalcini and Lalla Romano. Casorati's influence was very evident in Maria's work during this time.

## Futurism

Mori became involved with the Futurist movement, joining the group led by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, in 1931. In her journal notes, Mori described Marinetti as "wasn't to be taken seriously." Mori was the only woman to contribute to The Futurist Cookbook in 1932 with a recipe called "Italian Breasts in the Sun". She would later recreate this work into an edible sculpture piece that she would exhibit for consumption at lunches organized by Marinetti. Mori would again exhibit it in 1933 at the Glorificazione della cucina futurista exhibition in Milan. She was invited to the first National Futurist Exhibition in Rome in 1932, and soon after left Turin to return to live in Florence with her husband. In 1934 and 1936 she was invited to the Venice Biennale. She became very involved with Aeropittura (Aeropainting), winning a Silver Medal for a triptych she exhibited in a 1932 Futurist Art Prize at Galleria Bardi in Rome. In 1937 her work was included in the exhibition Les femmes artistes d’Europe at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume in Paris, later to travel to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Towards the late 1930s, Mori became disenfranchised with the Futurist movement due to its enthusiasm for fascism – a position that made her the subject of heavy criticism from her contemporaries. In 1938 she vehemently protested against the publication of the Manifesto of Race. She would later give hospitality to Rita Levi Montalcini and her brother Gino Levi Montalcini, who were both affected by Italian racial laws from 1938 to 1943. In 1943, at the eve of the outbreak of Civil War, Mario Mori died.

## Other artistic involvements

Besides the Futurists, Mori was involved with several other artistic groups and movements during her career, most recorded groups being feminist and women centered. While she was never recorded as a member, Mori exhibited her with at several exhibitions held by the Italian society Pro-Cultura Femminile: a group focused on elevating the culture of women. Through the Pro-Cultura Femminile, Mori exhibited in 1930 at the First Exhibition of Female Art and exhibited again in 1932 at the Exhibition of Modern Decorative Female Art. Through the National Association of Professional Women and Artists, Mori was invited to exhibit at several state exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale and the Rome Quadriennale. During the 1930s-1950s, Mori was very active in the Florentine chapter of the International Association of Lyceum Clubs. Mori gave her only recorded lecture to the Florentine Lyceum Club on February 28th, 1948, during a conference. This speech was titled "Vita della donna artista" (Life of the Woman Artist) and discussed femininity and motherhood in relation to having a career as a woman artist.

## Later life and death

After the end of the war, Mori moved back to Florence and returned to classical and natural themes, creating still-lifes, nudes, and masks. In 1951, she exhibited a new painting at the VI Rome Quadriennale. In 1954, she had a solo show at the House of Dante Alighieri in Florence. In the following years Mori fundamentally retired from public life, only appearing sporadically at events such as exhibitions for women artists. Mori died in 1985 in Florence, three days before her 85th birthday. While some of her work is in various museums, a majority of her work resides in the Mori Family Archive.