The exhibitions of 2026

Fondazione Luigi Rovati presents the 2026 exhibition programme, articulated around three major projects at the Museo d’Arte and a cycle of exhibitions in the Art Pavilion.

 

 

Gli Etruschi e l’Olanda. A/R dei bronzi Corazzi

1 April – 4 October 2026

 

The extraordinary Etruscan bronzes from the ancient Corazzi Collection, originating from Cortona and now held at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, return exceptionally to Italy.

The exhibition tells a story of cultural exchange and enlightened collecting.

After a first stop at the MAEC in Cortona, the group of bronzes arrives in Milan for an exhibition organised in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, the Accademia Etrusca di Cortona and the Municipality of Cortona.

 

 

Storia di un gesto: il mito di Meleagro dall’arte classica a Warburg, a Picasso (The History of a Gesture: the Myth of Meleager from Classical Art to Warburg, to Picasso)

13 May – 2 August 2026

 

Curated by Salvatore Settis, the exhibition is built around three closely interconnected elements.

The first is the myth of Meleager, among the most powerful narratives of the classical tradition.

The second is a Roman sarcophagus with a relief depicting the Death of Meleager (c. 170–180 AD), from the Brenta-Torno collection and shown to the public for the first time.

The third is the so-called “gesture of despair,” one of the most incisive figurative formulas of pain in the Western artistic tradition.

 

Born and codified in Roman times, the gesture experienced a long eclipse in European figurative tradition before re-emerging from the 13th century onwards and resuming a central role in the representation of suffering.

The exhibition traces its origins in classical antiquity, documents its prolonged absence from European art, and follows its reappearance—from Nicola Pisano to Giotto—through to its persistence in contemporary art, with references extending to Guernica by Pablo Picasso.

As early as 1901, Aby Warburg identified the figure seized by despair on the Meleager sarcophagi as a decisive source for the “resurrection” of this gesture after a long oblivion, exemplified in the exhibition by three panels from the Mnemosyne Atlas.

 

 

Etruschi e Veneti. Acque, culti e santuari (Etruscans and Veneti. Waters, Cults and Sanctuaries)

14 October 2026 – 10 January 2027

 

The exhibition offers a journey through coastal sanctuaries, places of worship linked to thermal and spring waters, and port contexts. From Tyrrhenian Etruria to the main centres of ancient Veneto, the itinerary highlights the role of water as a space of relationship with the divine, a means of healing, and a meeting place for communities and cultures.

The project presents a multifaceted view of religious practices connected to seas, rivers, lakes and springs, including the most recent discoveries of the Bronzes of San Casciano.

The exhibition unfolds in two distinct and complementary stages and is realised in collaboration with the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (Doge’s Apartment at Palazzo Ducale, 6 March – 29 September 2026).

 

Find out more

 

At the Art Pavilion

International cooperation projects

 

At the Padiglione d’Arte, the Foundation presents two international cooperation projects.

 

In May, You Are Not Alone opens, an exhibition of photographs by Marco Mignani organised by the Fondazione Dr. Ambrosoli. The images, taken at the Dr. Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital in Kalongo, Northern Uganda, document the stories of families affected by disability and their paths of care.

The You Are Not Alone project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, focuses on early diagnosis, specialist care, training of healthcare staff and family support. In addition to the prevention and treatment of visual, motor and mental disabilities, the initiative aims to promote social inclusion and improve quality of life.

 

In June, Out of Place. Art and Stories from Refugee Camps Around the World, by the Fondazione Imago Mundi and under the patronage of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, presents the works and testimonies of 264 artists who live or have lived in refugee camps across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

The project gives voice to creativity born in conditions of precarity, portraying camps not only as places of emergency, but as complex, vibrant and constantly evolving spaces.