GX1993.215

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.