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Simultaneous Aeroritratto of Italo Balbo
Prampolini, Enrico
painting
87.849.5.1
Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 210; Larghezza: 157
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Prampolini's aeror-portrait represents the posthumous glorification of Italo Balbo: an early Fascist, undersecretary of the National Economy (1925-1926), undersecretary and then minister of aeronautics (1929-1933), “hero of the air” as the leader of the two transatlantic flights to Rio de Janeiro (1930) and Chicago (1933), and finally from 1934 governor of Libya. At the outbreak of war Balbo took command of Libya's armed forces, but died prematurely in the skies over Tobruk, when his plane was shot down by mistake by Italian anti-aircraft fire. The painting was exhibited at the XXIII International Biennial Art Exhibition in Venice in 1942. Oil on panel depicting Italo Balbo as a pilot aboard a futuristic aircraft in flames.