Italian
There is a term that has resonated multiple times within the walls of the Conference Room of the Candiani Cultural Center: “slip.” Not as a loss, but as an invitation to bring back to light stories, talents, and paths that deserve to be told again. It is precisely in this direction that the Mestre Painting Award 2026 is positioned, which has chosen to dedicate the Memory Recognition to Laura Padua, the only woman winner in the ten historical editions of the award (1958–1968)
MESTRE (VE). The meeting, introduced by Christiano Costantini (President of the Veneto Circle) and Elisabetta Barisoni (Director of MUVE), was not just a formal obligation, but an intimate journey into post-war Venice, a time when the city was a vibrant crossroads of brilliant minds.
The Altana on the Lagoon: the memory of Umberto Padua
The most touching moment of the evening was the speech by Umberto Padua, the artist’s nephew, who provided a vivid human portrait of his aunt. He described Laura in her “altana,” intent on observing Venice from above, capturing the imperceptible variations of light that she would then translate onto the canvas.
Extraordinary anecdotes emerge: Laura walking with Enrico Fermi through the streets of Murano without anyone recognizing the father of atomic physics; the friendship with Virgilio Guidi, Emilio Vedova, and Giorgio Morandi; the courageous refusals, like when she said “no” to the prestigious Marlborough Gallery in New York to avoid becoming a “paid painter,” claiming absolute freedom for her inspiration.
The poetics of silence and glances
Professor Laura Poletto analyzed the works of the artist, focusing on the famous painting with which she won the Mestre Prize in 1962, now part of the collection of Ca’ Pesaro. The painting from Padua is a painting of “silences and melancholies,” populated by adolescents with large, bewildered eyes, filled with an invisible terror or a metaphysical wonder.
“They are beings subjected to the mystery of being”, explained Poletto quoting Giuseppe Marchiori, emphasizing how Padua has managed to embody the existential unease of its time, reaching the thresholds of ’68 with a surprising aesthetic modernity.
The bond with the territory and the institutions
Matteo Piccolo, curator of Ca’ Pesaro, revealed the “secrets” of the archives of the three works from Padua preserved in the civic collections. Among historical inventories and technical curiosities — such as the back of a painting protected by the cardboard of a detergent from that era, a testament to an art that was born with simple means but high ambitions — the fundamental role of figures like Guido Perocco in supporting the artist’s talent emerged.
The event also remembered Laura Padua’s commitment within the FIDAPA, the federation that in the 1950s and 1960s fought for the affirmation of women in the art system, even organizing protest exhibitions against the female exclusions at the Biennale.
An invitation to rediscovery
The works of the finalists of the Mestre 2026 Award are on display at the Muvec (House of Contemporary Art). The museum will exceptionally open its doors to all visitors on Sunday, May 17, on the occasion of the International Museum Day ICOM.
Next appointment
The conference cycle of the Mestre Award will continue on Wednesday, May 27 with the presentation of the awarded works of the 2026 edition. Admission is free until seats are filled.
