Nativity Scenes from the Forlai Collection

From December 5, 2025 to January 11, 2026, it is possible to visit the exhibition Nativity Scenes from the Forlai Collection at the Museo Civico d'Arte Industriale e Galleria Davia Bargellini.

The exhibition, promoted by the Musei Civici d’Arte Antica, is curated by Antonella Mampieri, curator of the museum.

The Musei Civici d’Arte Antica renew their traditional annual appointment with the art of nativity scene sculpture. The initiative is part of a cycle of yearly exhibitions that compares the rich group of nativity figurines modeled in polychrome terracotta from the 18th–19th centuries, belonging to the permanent collection of the Museo Davia Bargellini—the most significant in Bologna both in terms of number of pieces and artistic quality—with nativity schools from different regional areas, documenting the extraordinary spread of this specific type of artistic production in Italy.

As customary, the exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Centro Studi per la Cultura Popolare, a cultural association dedicated to historical study and research, active since 1976.

This year’s exhibition is dedicated to the collection of Edgardo Forlai, an architect of Bolognese origin who has long been a resident of Forlì by adoption. A selection of 16 figures is presented, attributable to the Bolognese, Modenese, and central-southern Italian traditions, and dating from the late 18th to the early 19th century.