ART AND BEAUTY IN ONE PLACE

Culture is at the heart of everything we do. Galleria Cavour 1959 is the place where art and fashion come together to create a unique synergy.

Galleria Cavour 1959 regularly hosts cultural events, art exhibitions and initiatives that allow visitors to discover the Italian cultural heritage of fashion and beauty in an extraordinary place.

/01 “A GALLERY WITHIN A GALLERY”

In 1962, Enzo Torricelli, Pasquale Ribuffo and Franco Bartoli inaugurated the Galleria d’arte de’Foscherari inside Galleria Cavour, a “gallery within a gallery”, which became the symbol of contemporary art in Bologna.

In 1963, Foscherari presented an innovative event called “Three Progressions” with artists such as De Vita, Cuniberti and Pozzati.

Many artists gravitated around Foscherari, making it an important cultural hub: Mario Ceroli, Pirro Cuniberti, Germano Sartelli, Claudio Parmiggiani, Piero Manai, Concetto Pozzati and Mario Schifano, who used to unleash his creative flair in nocturnal sessions within the exhibition space at the Gallery.

In 1968, the gallery hosted one of the first exhibitions of the Arte Povera movement, promoted by the critic Germano Celant, where among other things the first works of Michelangelo Pistoletto were exhibited.

/02 MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO

Many cultural initiatives and events have been hosted in the Gallery over the years: the exhibition The first 100 years of Maserati, Bologna Design Week (in collaboration with Roche Bebois and Technogym), the White Truffle Night, the exhibition La Piccola Gioconda, Giardini e Terrazzi, an ANT auction and many more.

Until the present day, in 2022, when master Michelangelo Pistoletto decided to leave his most symbolic work, the Third Paradise, in Bologna to be exhibited in the Trivium of Galleria Cavour 1959.

The fact that the Gallery is the only commercial space in which the artist has ever installed this work of his, as a sign of sharing objectives and rebirth, is particularly significant within the path towards an ever greater reduction in consumption and waste undertaken by Galleria Cavour 1959.

The Galleria therefore tells a story of rebirth and hope, a theme commemorated with the celebration of Rebirth Day, the day of rebirth established by the artist Pistoletto. On December 21st, 2022 and 2023, Galleria Cavour 1959 gave the city two events that combined the visual and performing arts.

/ 03 GALLERIA. OUVERTURE

From January to March 2023, thanks to the synergy with the Palazzo Boncompagni Foundation which offered an artist residency to Ester Grossi and Amalia Mora, Galleria Cavour 1959 hosted a special exhibition in its Terrazza Green, a recently inaugurated space covered by a lawn made from recycled materials.

Here, in a real museum space, “Galleria. Ouverture” was showcased: a revisitation of the rationalist architecture of Galleria Cavour 1959 through digital images from the point of view of the artists, Ester Grossi and Amalia Mora.

/ 04 BOLOGNA MODERNISSIMA

In July 2023 it is the turn of an exhibition that tells the story of an artist’s relationship with his city through its signs and its stories in an original journey to rediscover its identity.

The artist is Flavio Favelli, the city is Bologna. In Galleria Cavour 1959, Favelli exhibits a selection of works chosen specifically for a special place that the people of Bologna have always considered their living room. The rationalist “passage” that unites four squares of the city has therefore become the fulcrum of a contemporary art experimentation that sees Favelli’s exhibition integrated within a project that aims to promote local artists as well as young emerging Italian talent.

For Favelli the works “Insegna Bolognese”, “Insegna Bologna Centro”, “Derby” the showcase poster with the Bologna-Fiorentina football teams, the collage “Bologna Juve”, the poster of “Arte Fiera 77” up to a panel painted red and blue have become works to make a place speak, and also serve as a warning about a personal relationship with the city that feeds on distance and closeness.

05 / THE CLOTHES OF THE STARS

Fashion is culture and is expressed in many forms of art and Galleria Cavour 1959 puts them all together, allowing us to relive a journey through the history of fashion but also through that of cinema, music and its performers for whom outfits have become the vehicle of their greatness as stars.
From September 15th to October 15th 2023 Galleria Cavour 1959 hosted The Clothes of the Stars, From Capucci to Yves Saint Laurent: Dresses from the Cecilia Matteucci Lavarini Collection, an exhibition which featured a selection of 5 iconic garments from the Cecilia Matteucci Lavarini collection, from the wardrobes of various celebrities. An exhibition that is part of the mission of Galleria Cavour 1959 which, since its origins, has dictated style and fashion in the city through its prestigious boutiques with the signatures of great stylists.

At Christmas 2023 The Clothes of the Stars is presented in a special Christmas Edition and showcases a Shirley Bassey stage dress designed by Douglas Darnell in 1990.

The clothes come from the extraordinary collection of Cecilia Matteucci Lavarini, who in her wardrobe boasts over 3000 couture pieces that she continues to wear. She defines them as “her own stylist through the creations of others”.

06 / PIETRO TERZINI
I’LL BE HERE ANY TIME

From Dec. 19, 2023 to Feb. 8, 2024, a luminous writing will stand out on the facade of Galleria Cavour 1959 in Bologna.
It is I’ll be here any time, an extraordinary installation by Milanese artist Pietro Terzini that invites us to live our lives to the fullest, aligning with the values of sustainability and harmony of one of the city’s iconic places.

Pietro Terzini’s work ranges from digital to fine art via street art. Indeed, the focus of his art is the contemporary world in which fashion plays a central role along with capitalism, consumerism and love in the age of social media.

The artist collaborates with some of the world’s most important brands, including Nike and Tod’s, and has exhibited his works in Italy, Switzerland and the United States.