Name of Object:

Dreams

Name in original language:

Sogni

Location:

Rome, Italy

Holding Institution:

National Gallery of Modern Art (GNAM)

 About MIBACT | National Gallery of Modern Art (GNAM), Rome

Holding Institution (original language):

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GNAM)

Date of Object:

1896

Author:

Vittorio Corcos (1859, Livorno-1933, Florence)

Inventory Number:

inv.157

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

160 x 135 cm

Provenance:

Italy

Description:

Vittorio Corcos is well known for his realistic paintings, especially his portraits of women. The woman depicted in the painting Dreams is Elena Vecchi, the daughter of a friend of the painter. Elena spent her adolescence at Corcos’ home. Presented in 1897 at the International Exposition Art of Florence, the portrait drew great attention and critical and public acclaim. Given the subject and its allusive title, it’s possible to see the image of a modern, proud and aware young woman that hitherto was represented only in literature: on the contrary, Corcos was able to masterfully represent it in painting. The scene was so admired that it was also reproduced on postcards. Corcos believed that while a portrait of a man has to show his social status, that of a woman always has to be appealing even if she is eighty years old.

Type of Object

Painting

Additional Copyright Information:

Copyright image: Soprintendenza alla Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea.

Citation of this web page:

Marina Minozzi "Dreams" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;it;162;en

Prepared by: Marina Minozzi
Copyedited by: Anne Dowell

MWNF Working Number: IT2 020