The creation of the self. The Countess da Castiglione

Text by Alessandro Bollo:

The exhibition discloses nine portraits of the Countess da Castiglione, selected from the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento art collection: it gives back to the public a figure of exceptional innovation,who could use the photography as a privileged space to experiment identity. Using well-chosen poses, disguises, changes of scenography and an accurate control of her own image, Virginia Oldoini has been a forerunner to practises that are attributed to visual self-narrative and performative self-construction these days. The portrays witness a conscious and continuous project on self-representation, developed in dialogue with photographer Pierre–Louis Pierson (the pictures are taken in Paris, at Mayer & Pierson, one of the most sought-after portrait studios of the Second Empire). The project is, however, led by the Countess’ strong personal direction, transforming the photographic act into a creativity and communication device. Not only was the Countess portrayed, but multiple versions of her self were enacted – as aristocrat, actress, socialite icon, as well as enigmatic figure. Her work helped to redefine the correlation between individual, image and audience in the visual culture of the 19th century. Therefore, the sequence of images allows the visitor to grasp the photograph not only as a document, but as a space of symbolic invention and construction of celebrity, where Castiglione developed one of the first forms of media identity in modern times.  

We would like to thank Residenze reali sabaude and Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano.