Abstract

This essay stems from a conversation I had in 2008 with Giorgio de Marchis during the preparation, with Giacomo Marcucci, of the volume dedicated to «Arti Visive» magazine. In particular, on the question of whether Colla (director) ever really organized the Balla exhibition in his ‘Origine gallery’ in 1950. I moved from this starting point to analyze the critical work that de Marchis first dedicated to Colla, with the 1970 exhibition at the GNAM, then to Balla, with the 1971 exhibition, and eventually to Colla again with the General Catalog released in 1972. De Marchis’s work was marked by scientific rigour, methodical studies and detailed rules, which he applied in his whole historic work on Art. Beyond innovative critical interpretations, de Marchis’s work placed the study of sources first, for both the authenticity and the historical location of works of art.