This study examines the significant corpus of forty-four paintings by the German artist Fritz Berthold Neuhaus (1882-1956) held in the collection of the Museo delle Civiltà (MUCIV) in Rome. The painter traveled and worked extensively in the Italian colonies of Libya and Somalia in the late 1920s and 1930s and enjoyed considerable success in Italy during this period, exhibiting frequently and receiving support from influential figures like Mussolini, the Minister of Colonies Luigi Federzoni, and colonial officials like Maurizio Rava. His landscapes devoid of human presence, depicting deserts, mountains, and cities in an austere, monumental style, were seen as offering a modern alternative to Orientalist clichés. The article reconstructs Neuhaus’ career through contemporary reviews, exhibition catalogs, and the illustrated travelogue written by his wife Virginia about their journey in Somalia. It analyzes how his work was promoted to advance colonial propaganda goals, while also examining its aesthetic qualities, and highlights how artistic, political and personal interests intertwined to shape the Italian reception of this relatively obscure German artist.
Fritz Berthold Neuhaus: un artista viaggiatore nelle collezioni del Museo delle Civiltà di Roma
G. Tomasella
2025
Abstract
This study examines the significant corpus of forty-four paintings by the German artist Fritz Berthold Neuhaus (1882-1956) held in the collection of the Museo delle Civiltà (MUCIV) in Rome. The painter traveled and worked extensively in the Italian colonies of Libya and Somalia in the late 1920s and 1930s and enjoyed considerable success in Italy during this period, exhibiting frequently and receiving support from influential figures like Mussolini, the Minister of Colonies Luigi Federzoni, and colonial officials like Maurizio Rava. His landscapes devoid of human presence, depicting deserts, mountains, and cities in an austere, monumental style, were seen as offering a modern alternative to Orientalist clichés. The article reconstructs Neuhaus’ career through contemporary reviews, exhibition catalogs, and the illustrated travelogue written by his wife Virginia about their journey in Somalia. It analyzes how his work was promoted to advance colonial propaganda goals, while also examining its aesthetic qualities, and highlights how artistic, political and personal interests intertwined to shape the Italian reception of this relatively obscure German artist.
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