In Milan and Turin, Fall 2023 will bring five major exhibitions curated by 24 ORE Cultura, all scheduled between September and October. The names are those of the great artists who have shaped European art history over the past 300 years, with a particular emphasis on the 20th century.
The first upcoming exhibition will celebrate the genius of Vincent van Gogh. Presented by the MUDEC in Milan, “Vincent van Gogh. Pittore colto”, produced by 24 ORE Cultura - 24 ORE Group and promoted by the Municipality of Milan-Culture, offers a fresh perspective on Vincent van Gogh. From 21 September 2023 to 28 January 2024, the exhibition challenges the stereotype of Van Gogh as an outsider, revealing his surprising relevance to the cultural debate of his era. Benefitting from the invaluable collaboration of the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, the Netherlands, the exhibition takes visitors on a chronological and thematic journey. This innovative approach offers a fresh perspective on Van Gogh's works, emphasizing the interplay between his artistic vision and the depth of his cultural dimension. The exhibition explores two significant themes: Van Gogh's deep interest in books and his fascination with Japan, driven by his extensive collection of Japanese prints. In the rooms, the works from the Kröller-Müller Museum engage in a dialogue with a carefully chosen selection of over thirty original editions of art books and magazines throughout the exhibition.
The exhibition is curated by art historian Professor Francesco Poli; Mariella Guzzoni, researcher and curator of the “Van Gogh: vivere con i libri” thread; and Aurora Canepari, curator in charge of the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art in Genoa, curator of the “Van Gogh e il Giapponismo” section.
Remaining in Milan but shifting to Palazzo Reale, the exhibition "Morandi 1890-1964" stands as one of the most significant and all-encompassing retrospectives on the renowned Bolognese painter in recent decades. The exhibition is curated by Maria Cristina Bandera, promoted by the Municipality of Milan-Culture, produced by Palazzo Reale, Civita Mostre e Musei and 24 ORE Cultura - 24 ORE Group.
After a span of over thirty years since the last exhibition, Milan pays homage to Giorgio Morandi with a major exhibition, celebrating the special connection between the city and the Bolognese painter.
From 5 October 2023 to 4 February 2024, the exhibition showcases an impressive collection of approximately 120 works, encompassing the entire artistic journey of Giorgio Morandi. Spanning fifty years of his career, from 1913 to 1963, it features exceptional loans from prominent public institutions and esteemed private collections, starting with significant pieces from the Museo Morandi in Bologna and renowned collections in Milan. The exhibition traces a chronological criterion, with focused and unprecedented juxtapositions to document the painter's stylistic evolution and modus operandi. It highlights the variation of his chosen themes - still life, landscape, flowers, and only occasionally figures - as well as his mastery of techniques such as painting, etching, and watercolour. Halfway through, an evocative video installation immerses visitors in the room-studio at Via Fondazza in Bologna, today a museum, where Morandi lived and worked until his final days, accompanied by audio fragments of a though-provoking radio interview with the painter by Peppino Mangravite, teacher at Columbia University (1955).
We now go to Turin. Art, history, and politics converge in the major exhibition presented by GAM - Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Turin, which pays tribute to the romantic genius of Francesco Hayez (Venice 1791 - Milan 1882). The exhibition takes visitors on a journey into the artist's world, offering a glimpse into his workshop and unveiling his techniques and secrets. An original itinerary that juxtaposes paintings and drawings, featuring over 100 works, many of them previously unpublished and exhibited together for the first time, from prestigious public collections, along with the artist's works housed at GAM including Ritratto di Carolina Zucchi (la malata) and l’Angelo Annunziatore.
Open to the public from 17 October 2023 to 1 April 2024, “Hayez e l’officina del pittore romantico” is organized and promoted by Fondazione Torino Musei, GAM Torino and 24 ORE Cultura - 24 ORE Group, curated by Fernando Mazzocca and Elena Lissoni in collaboration with Accademia di Belle Arti of Brera.
Organized into chronological sections - beginning with his formative years in Venice and Rome under the guidance of the great Canova, to the success in Milan and the final challenges of his maturity - and a special section dedicated to Hayez's relationship with the city of Turin, the exhibition evokes the intense biography and creative path of the artist, an undisputed figure of Romanticism, but also "civil painter”, a portrayer of the destinies of the newly-formed Italian nation, demonstrating his ability to capture both historical and contemporary political events through his artwork. The numerous portraits and self-portraits of his career exemplify Hayez's capacity, akin to the greatest artists, to capture the spirit of his time, seamlessly merging art and life. As a singer of beauty, love, and Risorgimento values, his artistic language resonated with Italy, offering a means of self-recognition. His works continue to embody universal sentiments and values, carrying a civic dimension that brings history to life. The heart of the exhibition revolves around the unprecedented dialogue between paintings and drawings. In Hayez's artistic practice, rooted in his Veneto origins and influenced by the study of Titian and other Venetian painters from the 15th and 16th centuries, the role of drawing may initially appear overshadowed by colour. Hayez's artistic approach is marked by his reliance on momentary inspiration, as evidenced by the continuous revisions made during the artistic process. These revisions are often visible, even to the naked eye. The excellence and uniqueness of this technique are the sources of charm and strength in his paintings, admired over time, even by contemporary critics.
It's now back to the MUDEC in Milan, for the second major exhibition at the Museo delle Culture, curated by 24 ORE Cultura.
This time the star is Auguste Rodin. The exhibition “Rodin e la danza” takes place at the MUDEC from 31 October through 3 March 2024, is in collaboration with the Musée Rodin in Paris and is curated by Aude Chevalier, curator of the sculpture department at the Musée Rodin; Elena Cervellati, an expert in the history, theory and practices of dance; and Cristiana Natali, an expert in the anthropology and ethnography of dance and performance.
Following the exhibition held at the Musée Rodin in Paris, dedicated to the theme in general, this edition at the MUDEC draws its inspiration from the corpus of small terracottas that Rodin dedicated to dance movements influenced by Cambodian culture, and further delving into the language of contemporary dance and choreography.
The exhibition showcases materials on loan from the Musée Rodin (approximately 60 works including original photographs, drawings and sculptures - among them the highly prized terracotta dancers from the series dedicated to the Parisian artist’s dance movements). These are complemented by a selection of Cambodian objects from ethno-anthropological museum collections (prints, small-scale sculptures, musical instruments, puppets and shadows).
The exhibition will feature video materials, film excerpts, and documentary footage that complement the narrative. These visuals will reference the dancers who Rodin met and studied during the magical early 20th century (Loïe Fuller, Isadora Duncan, Vaslav Nijinsky, Carmen Damedoz, and Adorée Villany) and will explore Cambodian culture and its dances. Lastly, the exhibition will showcase a curated selection that explores contemporary choreography by artists who have drawn inspiration from Rodin's work. The videos will engage in a captivating dialogue with Rodin's sculptures, creating a dynamic interplay of visual and symbolic cross-references.
To conclude, after a span of 23 years, Palazzo Reale's artistic direction is reintroducing the works of the great Spanish genius to Milan. Starting from 31 October 2023, the exhibition “Goya. La ribellione della ragione” will grace the halls with approximately 70 masterpieces, an exhibition project sponsored by the Municipality of Milan-Culture and brought to life by 24 ORE Cultura-24 ORE Group, in association with the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid, and curated by Victor Nieto Alcaide. This exhibition presents a golden opportunity to explore the entire artistic journey of the Spanish master. Spanning a significant historical period marked by political, social, and ideological changes, it reflects the dawning of a new era in history.
Thanks to the special collaboration with the Real Academia, this exhibition presents a unique opportunity to view the Maestro's pictorial masterpieces in Italy, alongside some of his most important engravings that made Goya the absolute master of this art.
In an exhibition project that embraces a positive-negative duality reflected in its layout, curated by Studio Novembre, the exhibition not only highlights the essential collection of Goya's engravings, but also introduces, for the first time in Italy, the copper plates that the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando - with its Institute of Chalcography - has just finished restoring, through a project aimed at recovering these highly delicate and original works of art that is unprecedented in terms of complexity and extensive scope of this endeavor.
A common thread permeates the entire exhibition “Goya. La ribellione della ragione” and cuts across the chronological sections. It is the common thread of Goya the individual and the profound depths of his enlightened soul, embodied in his 'reason'.