May 22 – September 20, 2026
Curated by Beatrice Buscaroli
St. Francis’s vision serves as a lens through which to reinterpret Italian art from the late 20th century to the present
The exhibition goes beyond the iconographic image of St. Francis to explore his way of viewing the world and the ethical value of his thought. His vision, expressed in the Canticle of the Creatures, serves as a starting point for reinterpreting Italian art from the post-World War II era to the present. Works from the MAXXI Collection engage in dialogue with pieces that share similar themes and artistic languages. Some works, created specifically for this occasion, interpret the Franciscan perspective by bringing together symbols, figures, and nature.
The exhibition features works by: Stefano Arienti, Jacopo Benassi, Vasco Bendini, Luca Bertolo, Bertozzi & Casoni, Lorenzo Bonechi, Alberto Burri, Paolo Canevari, Chiara Calore, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Chiara Camoni, Marco Cingolani, Antonio Del Donno, Aron Demetz, Fulvio Di Piazza, Bruna Esposito, Mario Giacomelli, Maria Lai, Piero Manzoni, Andrea Mastrovito, Giorgio Morandi, Ennio Morlotti, Alessandro Pessoli, Davide Rivalta, Flavia Rossi, Nicola Samorì, Germano Sartelli, Mario Schifano, and Ettore Spalletti.
The exhibition is promoted and produced by the General Directorate for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture and the MAXXI Foundation – National Museum of 21st-Century Arts, as part of the celebrations marking the eighth centenary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi.
Among the works by Mario Giacomelli on display, some come from Studio Guastalla Arte Moderna e Contemporanea.
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