Wolfango 100 - 100 Wolfango

The showcase "Wolfango 100 - 100 Wolfango" celebrates the centenary of the birth of Wolfango Peretti Poggi (1926–2026), the artist who said: "Drawing is breathing, painting is living".

The showcase, conceived by Alighiera Peretti Poggi, is a multifaceted journey into the artistic universe of the Maestro, a cultivated man who for 80 years moved between painting and sculpture, engraving and illustration.

"Wolfango 100" refers to the years since his birth, while "100 Wolfango" celebrates the countless activities he carried out during his lifetime.

The showcase consists of over 500 days of events and involves 15 institutions, with around 700 works on display, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and puppets. 

The city is preparing to host several unmissable exhibitions and events:

• "Golpe, Wolf, Lupambolo... Wolfango illustrator"
• Where: Biblioteca dell'Archiginnasio
• When: 13 March – 13 June 2026
• What: A focus on the artist as a "polyglot of the sign", featuring works dedicated to Dante, Parini, Perrault, and Salgari, as well as previously unpublished plates that won first prize at the 1966 Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
• "Il Mio Wolfango"
• Where: Palazzo d'Accursio
• When: 20 March – 24 May 2026
• What: An exhibition dedicated to Wolfango the man, featuring 50 written testimonies from friends, students, and family members, accompanied by 50 photographs by professional photographers, including Nino Migliori and Andrea Samaritani.
• "Flute Concert by Maestro Massimo Mercelli"
• Where: Archiginnasio of Bologna
• When: 28 April 2026
• What: The world-renowned flautist Maestro Massimo Mercelli performs in the Stabat Mater hall on the occasion of Wolfango’s birthday.
• "Concert by the Doctor Dixie Jazz Band"
• Where: Via Cesare Battisti 7/b
• When: 8 May 2026
• What: The famous Bolognese band performs a concert in memory of their friend Wolfango, creator of the Doctor Dixie Jazz Band logo, in the historic cellar of Via Cesare Battisti.
• "Wolfango’s Figures in Salaborsa"
• Where: Biblioteca Salaborsa
• When: 18 May – 8 June 2026
• What: Exhibition of the original plates for the images Wolfango created for the Puppet Room in 2004, paying homage to great illustrators.
• "Wolfango’s Allegory of the Coma at the Casa dei Risvegli Luca De Nigris"
• Where: Casa dei Risvegli Luca De Nigris
• When: 25 September 2026
• What: A collective reading of Wolfango’s work “Allegory of the Coma,” led by prominent voices from the worlds of culture, medicine, and social engagement.
• "Piano Concert by Giacomo Zibordi"
• Where: Church of Santa Maria della Vita
• When: 24 October 2026
• What: Concert by the talented young pianist Giacomo Zibordi.
• "Wolfango’s Puppets"
• Where: Palazzo Pepoli, Museum of the History of Bologna
• When: From 1 November 2026
• What: An immersion into the Maestro’s “divertissement” with puppets and masks from the Italian Commedia tradition, pairing classic male masks with their corresponding female counterparts.
• "In the Rooms of Painting | Wolfango at Palazzo Boncompagni"
• Where: Palazzo Boncompagni
• When: 4 December 2026 – 29 March 2027
• What: The major exhibition on Wolfango’s painting, featuring powerful works from the 1960s to the 2000s, including the monumental Oranges on the Formica Table (1969), not shown since 1986.
• "A Long Loyalty"
• Where: Cineteca di Bologna
• When: to be defined
• What: Screening of the docufilm published by the Cineteca in 2016 and directed by Teo De Luigi, which offers an in-depth look at Wolfango’s art.

Events in the province of Bologna and in other cities

• "Wolfango’s Nativity Scene at Villa Davia"
• Where: Villa Davia, Colle Ameno in Sasso Marconi (BO)
• When: 5 December 2025 – 8 February 2026
• What: Exhibition of around 200 large terracotta statues modelled by Wolfango over 50 years as Christmas gifts for his children.
• "Wolfango’s Pinocchio"
• Where: Biblioteca Classense, Ravenna
• When: 30 January – 28 March 2026
• What: Exhibition of illustrations for an early-1980s Pinocchio, featuring 40 previously unseen works in which Pinocchio interacts with characters from literature, mythology, and comics.
• "A Cyclist in the Nativity Scene and in the Vincenzo Galetti Memorial"
• Where: Municipality of Galliera
• When: 8 – 28 March 2026
• What: The exhibition of sculptures, multiples, and photographs celebrates a story of friendship, art, and culture on the centenary of the births of Vincenzo Galetti and Wolfango Peretti Poggi.
• "Wolfango’s Wunderkammern"
• Where: Graziano Campanini Art Gallery, Pieve di Cento (BO)
• When: 3 October 2026 – 28 February 2027
• What: Art photographs by Andrea Samaritani and others portraying the evocative spaces where Wolfango lived and worked.
• "Wolfango Engraver"
• Where: Casa Frabboni Museum, San Pietro in Casale (BO)
• When: 10 October 2026 – 28 February 2027
• What: Around thirty etchings created in the 1990s, when Wolfango explored the technique of engraving at the age of 70.