Mario Nigro. Works 1947-1992
Curated by Antonella Soldaini and Elena Tettamanti
In collaboration with Archivio Mario Nigro, Milano
Palazzo Reale Milano
14 July – 17 September 2023
Museo del Novecento Milano
14 July – 5 November 2023
The largest exhibition ever devoted to Mario Nigro (Pistoia 1917-1992 Livorno), one of the great protagonists of the twentieth-century Italian art scene, opens on 14 July at the Palazzo Reale (until 17 September) and at the Museo del Novecento (until 5 November).
Promoted by the City of Milan – Culture and produced by the Palazzo Reale, Museo del Novecento and Eight Art Project, the project has been organised in collaboration with the Archivio Mario Nigro and is curated by Antonella Soldaini and Elena Tettamanti.
The exhibition includes over a hundred and forty works dating from 1947 to his last one from 1992 with paintings, three-dimensional items, works on paper, a vast selection of documents and works that were shown at the Venice Biennales of 1964, 1968, 1978, 1982, and 1986 and at the 10th Quadriennale in Rome in 1973.
In collaboration with the PAC Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, a special event will commemorate the victims of the Mafia-led terrorist attack of 27 July 1993, which destroyed the space. The blast also destroyed some works that were to be part of an anthological exhibition devoted to the artist, who had died the previous year. The idea for the exhibition came from a reflection on this dramatic event, which struck both Milan and Italy thirty years ago this year, as the most appropriate way to assert the primacy of art and culture over crime.
Palazzo Reale
The display reveals the artist’s various stylistic periods. It unfolds through eight galleries of the Palazzo Reale, retracing Nigro’s activity with paintings and three-dimensional works, which he made from the second half of the 1940s. The works bear witness to his experimental approach to art and his decisive orientation towards abstract and geometric compositional structures.
Museo del Novecento
In the Spazio Archivi of the Museo del Novecento, visitors will be able to examine Nigro’s works on paper as well as a large selection of documents, including notes, sketches, catalogues, letters, and photographs. Some of the documents, which come from the Archivio Mario Nigro, have never been shown before in public. They include brochures, catalogues and invitations, autographed texts relating to the Spazio totale series, and some photographs by Ugo and Maria Mulas.
PAC Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea
As part of the “Performing PAC. Dance with Me to the End of Love” project, which explores the relationship between art and memory on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Via Palestro massacre, a work by Mario Nigro will be shown in the section devoted to the reconstruction of the attack, which will appear in the form of an extended timeline. On 25 July, a conference on the subject will recall the exhibition that was never put on and the works that were destroyed in the explosion.
The catalogue, published by Silvana Editoriale, contains an essay by Antonella Soldaini, an interview with Tommaso Trini by Elena Tettamanti on the work and personality of Mario Nigro, an essay by Francesca Pola devoted to his works on paper, a detailed chronology and an updated bio-bibliographic section.
Palazzo Reale
Piazza Duomo 12, Milano
Opening hours
From Tuesday to Sunday 12 noon – 7.30 p.m.
Thursday closing time at 10.30 p.m.
Last admission 30 minutes before closing time
Tuesday 15 August 12 noon – 7.30 p.m.
Closed on Mondays
Free admission
www.palazzorealemilano.it
Museo del Novecento, Spazio Archivi
Piazza Duomo 8, Milano
Opening hours
From Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. – 7.30 p.m.
Thursday 10 a.m. – 10.30 p.m.
Ticket includes admission to the permanent collection
and the temporary exhibitions
Full price € 10,00
Reduced price € 8,00