The exhibition: 20th Century Etruscans

20th Century Etruscans

The 20th century, often called the "Short Century," reignited interest in the Etruscan heritage. A turning point came in 1916 with the discovery of the stunning Apollo of Veii, marking the start of what became known as the “Etruscan Renaissance.”

Key milestones followed in 1955 and 1985, when major international exhibitions on the Etruscans captured the public imagination. Around these events, a flourishing of studies, conferences, and debates took place, as intellectuals, artists, designers, fashion houses, and goldsmiths drew inspiration from Etruscan culture, sparking a wave of "Etruscomania."

Today, the exhibition Etruscans in the Twentieth Century at the Mart in Rovereto and the Luigi Rovati Foundation in Milan, curated by Lucia Mannini, Anna Mazzanti, Giulio Paolucci, and Alessandra Tiddia, pays homage to the profound influence of Etruscan culture on modern and contemporary creativity.

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Arturo Martini (1889-1947), Leone di Monterosso (Chimera), 1934-1935, Casa Cavazzini Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Udine

The "20th Century Etruscans" exhibition in Rovereto and Milan

At both venues, visual art engages in dialogue with applied and graphic arts. From painting to goldsmithing, sculpture to ceramics, the exhibition showcases the revival of forms, techniques, and materials such as painted terracotta, metalwork, mural and vase painting, and bucchero—the black pottery famously crafted by the Etruscans.

Detailed comparisons between ancient and modern works are enriched by photographic reproductions, publications, and a selection of extraordinary archaeological artifacts.

At the Mart in Rovereto, 20th Century Etruscans continues the museum’s tradition of fostering dialogue between different historical periods.

The exhibition unfolds along a thematic path featuring notable loans from prestigious public collections such as the Galleria Nazionale in Rome, Ca’ Pesaro, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Musée Picasso in Paris, as well as from Italy’s foremost archaeological museums.

Visitors can admire almost 200 works, which coexist alongside archaeological finds and precious documents. On display are works by artists such as Massimo Campigli, Marino Marini, Arturo Martini, Alberto and Diego Giacometti, Pablo Picasso, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Gio Ponti, Mario Schifano, and Gino Severini.

In Milan, at the Luigi Rovati Foundation, the exhibition spans both floors of the museum. Alongside the Foundation’s permanent collection, the showcased masterpieces follow the thematic structure of the Rovereto exhibition but focus exclusively on Italian artists.

Additionally, the Milan leg offers the opportunity to view previously unseen pieces from the Foundation's modern and contemporary art collection.

PHOTO GALLERY 

Marcello Nizzoli (1887-1969), Bozzetto per il Manifesto per la XIX Biennale di Venezia, 1934, CSAC - Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione, Università di Parma
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Canard pique-fleurs, 1951, Manufacture et musée nationaux, Sèvres
Maestro dell’Apollo (bottega veiente), Testa raffigurante il dio Hermes/Turms, 510-500 a.C., Proveniente da Veio, Santuario di Portonaccio, Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia in Roma
Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), Femme qui marche, 1936, Collezione Peggy Guggenheim, Venezia (Fondazione Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York)
Mirko Basaldella (1910-1969), Leone urlante, 1957, Collezione privata
Mario Schifano (1934-1998), La Chimera, 1985, Collezione privata