Legendary masters like Giotto and Bernini will appeal to those who prefer ancient art, while contemporary art enthusiasts won't be disappointed either, thanks to in-depth explorations of Marina Abramović, Rothko, and Rotella. The exhibitions coming to Italy in 2026 appeal to a diverse audience, offering a mix of diverse artistic experiences and influences.
BRESCIA – The first fifteen years of the 20th century, with the new sensibility that influenced various artistic, creative, and productive fields (painting, sculpture, architecture, graphics, fashion, photography, applied arts, and the nascent world of cinema), are the focus of the "Liberty" exhibition at Palazzo Martinengo from January 24th to June 14th. Curated by Manuel Carrera, Davide Dotti, and Anna Villari, the retrospective brings together over 100 works (paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and posters) to immerse the public in the new Art Nouveau style that took hold in Italy, also exploring the cultural and social climate alongside the artistic one.
MILAN – More than 90 works by major artists (such as Silvestro Lega, Giovanni Fattori, Telemaco Signorini, and Raffaello Sernesi) make up the exhibition "I Macchiaioli," running from February 3 to June 14 at Palazzo Reale. This is the first of the latest studies by the movement's three most authoritative Italian experts (Francesca Dini, Elisabetta Matteucci, and Fernando Mazzocca, the creators and curators). Divided into nine sections, the exhibition recounts the "national" experiment, or Risorgimento project, of the Macchiaioli, cultured painters who identified both with the ideas of Mazzini and the positivist influences emanating from France. Also at Palazzo Reale, from February 7 to September 27, is the exhibition conceived by Anselm Kiefer for the Sala delle Cariatidi, titled "Kiefer. The Alchemists." Open by reservation only, the exhibition features a series of 38 canvases in which Kiefer pays homage to female alchemists, often forgotten figures yet fundamental to the development of modern scientific thought.
ROVIGO – At Palazzo Roverella from February 27 to June 28, the exhibition "Zandomeneghi and Degas. Impressionism between Florence and Paris," curated by Francesca Dini, opens. Engaging in the dialogue between tradition and avant-garde, the exhibition documents, through exceptional loans, the intense—at times thorny, always fruitful—relationship that united the two artists during their long friendship in Paris.
