Morandi's muted colors manage to grab attention as the Italian artist continues to influence lifestyles, Zhang Kun reports.

The first major exhibition of works by Italian still life painter Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964) in Shanghai is currently underway.

The exhibition opened at Jiushi Art Museum on Saturday and will run until Oct 9. With the support of the Italian consulate in Shanghai, the exhibition is a highlight of the 2022 Italy-China Year of Culture and Tourism.

According to the exhibition curator, Stefano Zuffi, the showcase features 51 original artworks, including 39 oil paintings, four watercolor pieces, two sketches and four lithographic prints from the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, the Morandi Museum in Bologna, Italy, as well as the private Giovanardi Collection.

Zuffi describes Morandi as one of the most intimate and poetic expressionists of European art in the central decades of the 20th century.