Lanterna magica e film dipinto. 400 anni di cinema

The exhibition Lanterna magica e film dipinto. 400 anni di cinema (Magic lantern and painted film. Four centuries of cinema) is a coproduction of Cinémathèque Française and The National Cinema Museum, two of the most beautiful and rich collections in the world of magic lantern slides.

The exhibition, curated by Laurent Mannoni (Curator of Cinémathèque française) and Donata Pesenti Campagnoni (Curator of The National Cinema Museum), is presented in Paris on October 12. The exhibition will be in Italy from July 21 to November 7, 2010 at Reggia di Venaria, thanks to collaboration between The Museum and the Consorzio di Valorizzazione Culturale La Venaria Reale.

Ten areas illustrate the main topics dealt with by the magic lantern shows in the past : Daily Life, Travel, Fables and Legends, Religion and Esoterica, Science and Education, Art and Spectacle, Erotica, The World Upside Down, Ghosts, Abstract Art.

Designed by Architect Massimo Quendolo, the display is enhanced by the reconstruction of a Emile Reynaud optical theatre and a room dedicated to 18th century phantasmagoria. Completing the exhibition are an interactive station for creating a magic lantern show and an installation by artist Anthony McCall which explores the concept of light projection.

The exhibition is accompanied by a retrospective of avant-garde and experimental cinema, by meetings and conferences, educational activities and magic lantern shows.

Lastly, the book Lanterne magique et film peint has been published. Curated by Laurent Mannoni and Donata Pesenti Campagnoni, with over 500 pictures from the two collections, the book describes the aesthetic and technical evolution of the magic lantern and its influence on the birth of cinema. Two editions : one in French by Les Editions La Martinière, and the other in Italian, entitled « Lanterna magica e film dipinto», by The Museo Nazionale del Cinema and Il Castoro.