2026-05-21

∞François Morellet∞ Centenario 1926 - 2026

∞François Morellet∞ Centenario 1926 - 2026

project coordinated by A arte Invernizzi
in collaboration with Estate Morellet
curated by Paolo Bolpagni and Alessandro Gallicchio


The project ∞François Morellet∞ Centenario in Italia 1926 - 2026, conceived and coordinated by A arte Invernizzi, curated by Paolo Bolpagni, director of the Fondazione Ragghinati in Lucca, and Alessandro Gallicchio, director of the Department of Art History at the Accademia di Francia a Roma - Villa Medici, and organised in close collaboration with Estate Morellet, is conceived to mark the centenary of François Morellet (1926 - 2016).
Various institutions across Italy are coming together to honour the French artist in a country where he exhibited for the first time in 1960 at the Galleria Azimut in Milan at the invitation of Piero Manzoni, and where the last exhibition he curated took place at A arte Invernizzi in Milan in 2016, opening shortly after his death. Also worthy of mention is the double solo exhibition held in the spring of 2016, which saw Morellet’s works displayed alongside those of Mario Ballocco at the Fondazione Ragghianti: in fact, this was the last exhibition of his to open during his lifetime.
The programme runs in parallel with the celebration of the artist’s centenary in France, organised by the Centre Pompidou and and launched with the exhibition François Morellet. 100 pour cent on 2 April 2026.
Through the presentation of exhibitions and works at the participating institutions, the aim is to “shed light” on an artist who was a visionary, a pioneer and a leading figure in the programmed and minimalist artistic explorations of the 1950s and 1960s; today, he is also unanimously and internationally recognised as a forerunner of a generative and immersive vision of the image, which represents one of the most innovative expressions of creativity among the latest generations of artists.
A catalogue, edited by Paolo Bolpagni and Alessandro Gallicchio and published by Metilene, will document all the initiatives through photographic reproductions and essays by the critics involved and representatives of the institutions.


PARTICIPATING VENUES
A arte Invernizzi, Milano
Accademia di Francia a Roma - Villa Medici, Roma
Fondazione Biscozzi | Rimbaud, Lecce
Fondazione Ragghianti, Lucca
MacaMorterone, Morterone
Università Luigi Bocconi, Milano
Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano
Villa Pisani Bonetti, Bagnolo di Lonigo