Sophia Loren. The myth of beauty drawn with light

From May 9 to July 5, 2026, the Fondazione Cirulli in San Lazzaro di Savena will host the exhibition Sophia Loren. The Myth of Beauty Drawn with Light.

This exhibition aims to pay tribute to the great diva who helped spread Italian style and elegance around the world, while revealing—through the shots of the photographers who portrayed her—the personality and humanity of the actress, capturing the memorable elegance and beauty that still make her an internationally renowned figure today.

The images convey all the powerful emotions that, thanks to her strength and determination, Sophia Loren was able to evoke both on screen and in life. Already presented at the m.a.x. museum in Chiasso, Fondazione Cirulli hosts the exhibition project, renewed and expanded, curated by Francesco Casetti, Angela Madesani, and Nicoletta Ossana Cavadini.

The exhibition features sixty-two images—35 of which belong to the Fondazione Cirulli Collection—among the most iconic works created by renowned photographers such as Elio Luxardo, Ugo Mulas, Tazio Secchiaroli, Pierluigi Praturlon, Gianni Berengo Gardin, David Montgomery, and Sante D’Orazio. The exhibition path follows a thematic approach: the photographs portray Sophia Loren in significant moments, during the filming of her famous movies, at elegant award ceremonies, or in more everyday settings.

Accompanying the black-and-white photographs are two iconic film posters created for the promotion of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963), a cult film that shaped the imagination and aesthetic standards of modernity.