GX1993.215

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 123; Larghezza: 54; Profondità: 27

bronzo

In 1926, the Opera Nazionale Balilla was established, which, under the supervision of the Ministry of National Education, aimed to organise the activities of boys aged eight to fourteen - called Balilla - in extracurricular hours. The name Balilla was derived from the nickname of a boy from Genoa who, according to tradition, threw a stone at some Austrian soldiers on 5 December 1746 and started the victorious insurrection of Genoa against the foreign oppressor. A marble version of this sculpture is preserved in the Frugone Collections in Genoa.
With a strong Michelangelo-inspired style, with references to classicism, but also to 19th-century verism, Galletti's language in these years appears to be marked by the expressive models of 20th-century figurative culture, in accordance with fascist rhetoric. Bronze sculpture of a Balilla, depicted nude in a classical pose, with his left fist on his hip.