Memorabilia: Fragments of a legend
During the recovery of the historical memory of Cisitalia, not only has valuable information in the form of literature emerged, but also other small treasures where Cisitalia takes center stage. We invite you to explore these unique pieces—they are an essential part of the Cisitalia magic and legend that we are proud to share with you here.
Dall’ Automobile all’ Arte
The CISITALIA 202, designed by Pinin Farina, was the first car to become part of the Museum of Modern Art of New York (MoMA), the most prestigious modern art museum in the world.
In autumn of 1951 the museum held an exhibition on car design and aesthetics called ‘Eight Automobiles’. It was there that the famous expression ‘Rolling Sculpture’ was born, coined by Arthur Drexler, the influential curator of the MoMA’s Department of Architecture. Both ‘Rolling Sculpture’ and ‘Monolithic Sculptural’ would remain unofficial Cisitalia 202 slogans for the rest of its days.
When the exhibition ended, the MoMA decided to keep the CISITALIA 202 as part of its permanent collection.
In autumn of 1951 the museum held an exhibition on car design and aesthetics called ‘Eight Automobiles’. It was there that the famous expression ‘Rolling Sculpture’ was born, coined by Arthur Drexler, the influential curator of the MoMA’s Department of Architecture. Both ‘Rolling Sculpture’ and ‘Monolithic Sculptural’ would remain unofficial Cisitalia 202 slogans for the rest of its days.
When the exhibition ended, the MoMA decided to keep the CISITALIA 202 as part of its permanent collection.
Just like other great icons, the Cisitalia 202 appears in the world of philately, on the stamps of various countries.
The name Cisitalia amassed a huge amount of fame in those years. It was even on national lottery tickets.
Like all grand legends, Cisitalia entered the world of cinema. The most notable films the company’s cars featured in are:
1950 “Cronaca di un amore” [Chronicle of a Love] – Michelangelo Antonioni. Starring Lucia Bosé and Massimo Girotti.
1962 “Il sorpasso” [The Easy Life] – Dino Risi. Starring Vittorio Gassman, Catherine Spaak and Jean Louis Trintignant.
1987 “The Sicilian” – Michael Cimino. Starring Christopher Lambert, John Turturro and Richard Bauer.
1950 “Cronaca di un amore” [Chronicle of a Love] – Michelangelo Antonioni. Starring Lucia Bosé and Massimo Girotti.
1962 “Il sorpasso” [The Easy Life] – Dino Risi. Starring Vittorio Gassman, Catherine Spaak and Jean Louis Trintignant.
1987 “The Sicilian” – Michael Cimino. Starring Christopher Lambert, John Turturro and Richard Bauer.