Exhibitions not to be missed in Bologna in the summer of 2026

Banksy Archive 01 – The School of Bristol 1983–2005 – Palazzo Fava

Until 18 October 2026

Not merely a collection of works, but a journey to the origins of Banksy’s creative vision. The exhibition reconstructs the artistic and cultural context of Bristol’s underground scene between the 1980s and the early 2000s, the environment in which the famous British artist’s artistic language took shape.

The exhibition is divided into 32 sections and brings together over 300 works, original documents and archive material. Alongside Banksy, the exhibition features the artists and key figures of the so-called ‘Bristol School’, who contributed to the emergence of a creative scene destined to influence international street art.

• Where: Palazzo Fava, Via Manzoni 2
• When: until 18 October 2026
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10.00–19.00; closed on Mondays

Giuseppe Chiari 1926–2026. A Score for a Museum – MAMbo

Until 27 September 2026

To mark the centenary of the birth of Giuseppe Chiari, MAMbo presents the first comprehensive retrospective dedicated to the artist by a public institution.

Music, performance, writing and visual arts come together in an exhibition that spans Chiari’s entire body of work; he was a central figure in Italian art during the second half of the 20th century. The exhibition also explores his relationship with Fluxus, a movement in which he participated whilst maintaining an independent and personal stance.

The exhibition is accompanied by concerts and events dedicated to his musical exploration.

• Where: MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art, Bologna, Via Don Minzoni 14
• When: until 27 September 2026
• Opening hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 14:00–19:00; Thursday 14:00–20:00; Friday to Sunday and public holidays 10:00–19:00; closed on Mondays (except public holidays)

Le Bolognesi. Well-known and previously unpublished photographs from the archives of Antonio Masotti – Galleria Modernissimo Cinema

Until 25 October 2026

A stroll through Bologna in the late 1950s and early 1960s, following the faces and stories of the women who lived in the city.

The exhibition draws on an archive of over 5,500 photographs taken by Antonio Masotti as part of the Le Bolognesi project. Only a fraction of these shots made it into the famous book published in 1963; many of the images on display are now being shown to the public for the first time.

Amidst porticoes, bus stops and the streets of the city centre, the women in the photographs move through Bologna with natural ease and personality. The result is a tender portrait of the city, but also a testament to the social and cultural changes of the second half of the 20th century.

The exhibition forms an ideal dialogue with *Viva Varda! Cinema is Woman*, hosted in the neighbouring spaces of the Modernissimo Cinema Gallery.

• Where: Galleria Modernissimo Cinema, former Piazza Re Enzo Sottopasso Gallery
• When: until 25 October 2026
• Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 14:00–20:00; Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10:00–20:00; closed on Tuesdays

Please note: Closed for the summer from 3 to 25 August 2026

Luigi Ghirri and Gianni Celati. Towards the Mouth of the River – MAMbo

Until 4 October 2026

Photography, cinema and literature come together in MAMbo’s Project Room, which explores the intellectual and creative partnership between Luigi Ghirri and Gianni Celati.

The core of the exhibition comprises photographs taken by Ghirri between 1989 and 1991, during location scouting and the production of *Strada Provinciale delle Anime*, the first feature film directed by Celati.

Villages, riverbanks, roads and human figures make up a poetic survey of the Po Valley landscape, ideally continuing the exploration begun by Celati in his book Verso la foce.

• Where: MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art, Bologna, Via Don Minzoni 14
• When: until 4 October 2026
• Opening hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 14:00–19:00; Thursday 14:00–20:00; Friday to Sunday and public holidays 10:00–19:00; closed on Mondays (except public holidays)

A look ahead to autumn: upcoming exhibitions

Summer isn’t over yet, but Bologna is already looking ahead to the new season with a packed programme of events. Edith Tudor-Hart ©Suschitzky Estate courtesy of Fotohof

• At Palazzo Pepoli, the programme kicks off from 2 to 19 October 2026 with L’ARDUO CIMENTO. Living in the Mountains – Living in the Desert, an exhibition by Guido Moretti which, through paintings, drawings and videos, reflects on the relationship between humankind, extreme landscapes and climate change. From 21 October 2026 to 3 March 2027, the museum’s galleries will instead host Edith Tudor-Hart. The Spy Photographer, dedicated to the Austrian photographer who documented the social inequalities of the 20th century and whose life story is intertwined with the activities of Soviet intelligence.

Edith Tudor-Hart ©Suschitzky Estate courtesy Fotohof

• At the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, from 2 October 2026 to 10 January 2027, the exhibition Il cielo in terra. San Francesco e Bologna tra Cinque e Seicento traces the evolution of the saint’s iconography through works by masters such as Francesco Francia, the Carracci, Guido Reni, Francesco Albani and Guercino.

• Palazzo Pallavicini also kicks off the new season with Leonardo da Vinci’s Machines: Between Genius and Innovation (24 September 2026 – 17 January 2027), an immersive journey through faithful reconstructions of Leonardo’s famous inventions, designed for both adults and children.

• Finally, at the MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art in Bologna, from 16 October 2026 to 6 January 2027, the spotlight will be on the duo Cuoghi Corsello with Tra le nuvole, an exhibition project created to mark the fortieth anniversary of their artistic collaboration, which engages with the museum’s spaces through a new interpretation of the famous character Quadrupede.

©Cuoghi Corsello, Quadrupede, 2024. Synopsis