Exhibition Antonio Ligabue
We are open on Friday 1 November. Tickets available directly at the box office.
From October 3, 2024, to February 28, 2025, the rooms of Palazzo Pallavicini will host, for the first time ever in Bologna, an exhibition dedicated to Antonio Ligabue, a great Italian Expressionist painter (Zurich, December 18, 1899 – Gualtieri, May 27, 1965).
Organized and curated by Chiara Campagnoli, Deborah Petroni, and Rubens Fogacci of Pallavicini s.r.l., along with the Artistic Direction and curation of WeAreBeside, produced in collaboration with SM.Art and sponsored by the Fondazione Augusto Agosta Tota for Antonio Ligabue, with texts by Francesca Bogliolo.
The exhibition, divided into 7 rooms of Palazzo Pallavicini in Bologna, will depict the life, psyche, and troubled history of this fascinating artist through over 120 works (including 81 paintings, 14 sculptures, 17 drawings, and 15 prints).
On display, in a retrospective of his career, are some of his most beautiful masterpieces, including 12 self-portraits and 7 tigers with gaping jaws, as well as agile leopards, raptors hunting prey or fighting for survival, and powerful lions: a true, raw, and violent jungle.
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Useful Information:
Ligabue Exhibition Opening Hours - Bologna:
From Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM (last entry at 7:00 PM)
Special Openings:
- December 8, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 2024: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM (last entry at 7:00 PM)
- December 31, 2024: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (last entry at 2:00 PM)
- January 1, 2025: 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM (last entry at 7:00 PM)
- January 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 2025: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM (last entry at 7:00 PM)
- February 8, 2025: 10:00 AM to midnight (last entry at 11:00 PM)
- February 18, 19, 25, 26, 2025: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM (last entry at 7:00 PM)
Scheduled Closures (All Day):
- December 23, 24, and 25, 2024
Ticket Prices - Ligabue Exhibition Bologna:
- Full price: €16
- Reduced price: €14*
*Ages 6 to under 18, FrecciaRossa train travelers, over 65 with ID, university students under 26 with valid student card, military personnel with ID, licensed tour guides, registered journalists with press card, companions of people with disabilities, ICOM and AICS Bologna members with valid card, State Property Agency employees with badge, ticket holders for other exhibitions at Palazzo Pallavicini - Bologna Welcome Card, Bologna Congress, and Card Cultura holders: €12
- University Thursday: €12 (with valid student ID)
- Disabled visitors: €12 (with valid certification)*
*Car permits are not accepted - Free admission: Children under 6 years old and Visitors with INPS-issued Disability Card*
- Groups: €12 per person (min. 10 – max. 25 people; 1 free companion)*
*Reservation required at info@palazzopallavicini.com; headphones are mandatory. - Schools: €5 per student*
*Applicable for students from kindergarten to high school (2 free companions per class; reservation required at info@palazzopallavicini.com; headphones are mandatory). - Open Ticket: €18*
- *Ticket with flexible entry date and time, valid until the end of the exhibition.
- Combined Ticket - Ligabue & Tina Modotti Exhibition: €26*
- *Valid for same-day use.
Services:
- Small pets allowed only in carriers or held in arms.
- Free, unsupervised coat rack, subject to availability.
Important Notices:
- Access for non-ambulant individuals or wheelchair users (non-electric) is via a tracked stairlift system, Jolly Ramp D3000010 by TGR, with a weight limit of 140 kg (combined weight of person and wheelchair; responsibility of the visitor). It covers two flights of stairs, totaling 38 steps. Full specifications are available at the following link: https://tgr.it/prodotto/jolly-ramp-montascale-mobile-a-cingoli/
Exhibition and Event Contacts - Palazzo Pallavicini:
- Email: info@palazzopallavicini.com
- Phone: +39 3313471504
Press Office and Social Media - Digital Suits:
- Email: press@digitalsuits.it, info@digitalsuits.it
- Phone: +39 3348689589
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Press Release:
For Antonio Ligabue, art was always an innate necessity that helped him endure life's challenges and sorrows. This is especially evident in the strength of his paintings, which continue to resonate today, evoking deep emotions. The exhibition showcases the art of this ever-evolving visionary genius, his passionate exploration that allowed him to invent and renew his works using bold yet harmonious colors, imbued with a pressing emotional suggestion, presenting a popular yet refined iconography. On display, in a journey through his career, are some of his most beautiful masterpieces, including 12 self-portraits and 7 tigers with open jaws, along with agile leopards, birds of prey seizing their prey or fighting for survival, and powerful lions: a true raw and violent jungle. The works come from private collections, banks, and museums, from his celebrated self-portraits to the marvelous Tiger Head (1953) and Leopard (1955), from Motorcyclist (1954) to sculptures like Lion and Lioness (1935), Panther (1938), Crouching Lioness (1940), and Gorilla Bust (1956); from animal-themed drawings to the pencil Self-portrait (1955). This exhibition also features 15 precious engravings. On the occasion of the exhibition, director Ezio Aldoni, who in 2015 created the docufilm *Antonio Ligabue. L’uomo*, recounting Ligabue's dramatic and fascinating life through direct testimonies of those who knew him, will produce a revised and updated version, including a new interview with art critic Renzo Margonari. The video will be shown exclusively at the exhibition. Mario Fiori, Secretary-General of the Augusto Agosta Tota Foundation for Antonio Ligabue, emphasizes the artist's expressive power: “Antonio Ligabue is direct, immediate, never hesitant. All his iconographies are based on precise memories or images from his daily life—nothing is left to fantasy. He sees, or remembers!” Francesca Biagioli from WeAreBeside introduces Ligabue's animal world: “The animals depicted by Ligabue transform into allegories of his psychological torment. Whether domestic animals or ferocious predators, the artist uses these figures to convey his inner conflict, the derision, and marginalization he experienced daily.” “Ligabue's self-portraits are valuable evidence of an unending quest for identity, where the artist outlines the contours of his fragility, fraught with deep unease. These works are accompanied by depictions of animals, symbols of dynamism and conflict: the intensity of life is the true protagonist of Ligabue's art, erupting onto the canvas without the filter of rationality, through incisive and energetic strokes,” says Francesca Bogliolo, art critic. Simona and Cinzia Agosta Tota, leaders of the Foundation, summarize the spirit driving their work: the Foundation finds its origins and continuity in the decades-long dedication of Augusto Agosta Tota, their father, who, since 1983, has passionately pursued research and studies, creating a reality that has become a reference point for those approaching Antonio Ligabue with critical, cultural, and scientific interest. Palazzo Pallavicini's organization wishes to highlight that this grand exhibition on Antonio Ligabue reflects its ongoing commitment to visitors, aimed at enhancing the cultural quality of Bologna and the Palace itself, catering to an increasingly cultured, attentive, and demanding audience. Additionally, to engage younger generations, families, and children, an immersive section has been developed where tigers, lions, and other wild animals come to life thanks to new technologies. Accompanying the exhibition is a catalog published by Palazzo Pallavicini, available exclusively at the exhibition, featuring a critical text by Francesca Bogliolo and additional section analyses written by WeAreBeside.
Palazzo Pallavicini Srl has been organizing and hosting exhibitions of internationally renowned artists within Palazzo Pallavicini since 2017, with a keen focus on Italian artistic heritage, spanning photography to modern and contemporary art.
Augusto Agosta Tota Foundation for Antonio Ligabue The Foundation aims to promote art and culture with a particular focus on the life and work of Antonio Ligabue, approached through rigorous scientific criteria.
WeAreBeside – www.wearebeside.com
WeAreBeside is a publishing company specializing in creating content and creative, cultural, and entertainment projects. Its projects are realized through editorial formats and exhibitions, tailored to various target audiences with an innovative or classic approach.
SM.Art – www.smartmostre.it
SM.Art specializes in exhibition, trade show, and event production, providing direct services through a team of selected collaborators.