Artist profile · Second half of the twentieth century, abstraction and new research
Liliana Cano
Figure and myth on the monumental scale of painting.
Summary
Liliana Cano, born in Gorizia in 1924 and deceased in Sassari in 2021, pursued a long career in painting and teaching in Sardegna. The figure remains at the centre of her inquiry: bodies, mythological characters and literary references occupy canvases that are often monumental, constructed through energetic line and colour. Her long trajectory crosses profound changes without abandoning its narrative vocation. Exhibitions, public works and the dispersed museum in Oliena have made a heritage distributed across the territory more visible. The artist’s archive and regional institutions offer complementary sources through which to reconstruct it.
- Biographical details
- Gorizia, 1924 – Sassari, 2021
- Area
- Sassari, Sardegna and Italia
- Disciplines
- painting, drawing, public art, teaching
- Last verified
Sassari as a place of work
Although born in Gorizia, Cano linked much of her life to Sassari and Sardegna. Teaching accompanied her practice and helped embed her in a lively artistic environment. This rootedness did not restrict her references: classical myth, literature and history provided a broad range of imagery, reworked in relation to the present.
The figure and large format
Cano’s figures are not described through minute naturalism. The line constructs them swiftly, colour amplifies their presence and the large format physically engages the viewer. Monumentality does not always coincide with celebration: it can convey instability, conflict or resistance. Body and pictorial space remain in tension.
Myth and literature
Characters and narratives from myth are revisited as open forms capable of speaking to the present. The quotation is not philological: it selects episodes, gestures and archetypes. Literary texts likewise become occasions for transforming narrative into visual rhythm. This continuity distinguishes Cano from the aniconic investigations of the later twentieth century.
Exhibitions and dispersed museum
The Musei Civici di Cagliari devoted an exhibition to the story of her life, and the Regione promoted a dispersed museum for her centenary. In Oliena, the works enter into dialogue with different places, turning the visit into a journey across the territory. Their dispersal calls for an up-to-date inventory and precise credits for every image.
Cano and Augusto Oppo
The research undertaken has not documented a direct relationship. Both were active in the Sassari environment, but their works retain distinct identities: figure, myth and monumental scale for Cano; synthesis, geometry, screen printing, graphic art and design for Oppo. Geographic proximity is not sufficient evidence from which to infer collaborations or influences.
Essential works and cycles
- Mythological and literary cycles
- Large canvases and public works
- Female figures
- Projects in the regional dispersed museum
Museums and collections
- Musei Civici di Cagliari
- Museo diffuso Liliana Cano, Oliena
- Public collections in Sassari and Sardegna
Sources and selected bibliography
Online sources consulted
- Primary source Archivio Liliana Cano — Biografia — The artist’s chronology and activities.
- Institutional source Musei Civici di Cagliari — Il racconto di una vita: Liliana Cano — Exhibition and biographical journey.
- Institutional source Regione Sardegna — centenario di Liliana Cano — The dispersed museum and institutional initiatives.
- Institutional source Sardegna Cultura — Museo diffuso Liliana Cano — Works in the Oliena area.
Bibliography
- Archivio Liliana Cano, biografia e cronologia.
- Cataloghi delle mostre nei Musei Civici di Cagliari e nelle istituzioni regionali.
Historical statements follow the listed sources. Readings of works are curatorial proposals by the Archive and do not replace a catalogue record or authentication.