Mario Giacomelli between photography and poetry: an exhibition-event at Palazzo Reale.

“Photography is an alchemy: the materials and the procedures are symbolic and the artist puts himself and his own existential path into play”. The exhibition “Mario Giacomelli. The photographer and the poet” at the Royal Palace of Milano, promoted by the Municipality of Milano – Culture and produced by Palazzo Reale and Archivio Mario Giacomelli, in collaboration with Rjma progetti culturali and Silvana Editoriale, is part of the initiatives promoted by Archivio Mario Giacomelli on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Mario Giacomelli, aimed at celebrating the artistic and cultural legacy of one of the greatest masters of Italian photography.

The exhibition, curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi and Katiuscia Biondi Giacomelli, takes place in conjunction with the exhibition “Mario Giacomelli. The photographer and the artist” at Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, building two complementary paths that explore the many facets of the artist's work, both awarded the Medal of the President of the Republic. A unique opportunity to rediscover Giacomelli not only as a photographer, but as a central figure in the artistic and cultural panorama of the twentieth century, capable of building a bridge between photography, painting, poetry and sculpture, demonstrating a vision that continues to inspire new generations of artists and observers.

The exhibition at the Royal Palace is part of the Cultural Olympics of Milano Curtain 2026, the multidisciplinary, plural and widespread program that will animate Italy to promote Olympic values ​​through culture, heritage and sport, in view of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games that Italy will host respectively from 6 to 22 February and from 6 to 15 March 2026.

The Milanese project “Mario Giacomelli. The photographer and the poet” is a tribute to the deep bond between Mario Giacomelli and poetry, an intense and visceral dialogue that permeates all his work. Not only in the explicit references to the great poetic texts, but also in his vision of photography as a pure lyrical expression, capable of transforming reality into story, emotion and suggestion.

At Palazzo Reale, the exhibition itinerary takes the visitor on a journey through Giacomelli’s visual poetics, presenting some of his most iconic series inspired by poetry.

It opens with an introductory room that reveals his approach to poetic language, through the series “Per poesie” ('60/'90), a vast image repertoire which becomes raw material for his compositions, and the series “Favola”, towards possible interior meanings (1983/84), in which photography becomes a sign, symbol and visual narration.

The tour continues with a section dedicated to “L'Infinito” by Giacomo Leopardi, where the series of the same name (1986/90) and the landscape of “Awareness of nature” (1976-80) they restore the deepest essence of Leopardi's contemplation, transforming light and shadow into a visual song.

Following, a room entirely dedicated to the series “Notice” (1997/99) from the poem of the same name by Sergio Corazzini, which seals the bond between photography and poetry with a unique expressive force.

The beating heart of the exhibition is a room dedicated to the extraordinary series “I have no hands to caress my face” (1961 / 63), inspired by the poetry of Father David Maria Turoldo, whose title becomes a visual and conceptual emblem of an intense and timeless work. The images of the young seminarians, suspended between innocence and restlessness, movement and contemplation, transform everyday life into a dance between the secular and the spiritual.

This is followed by a room celebrating the theme of love, juxtaposing the “Past” series (1986/90), inspired by the verses of Vincenzo Cardarelli, and the one born from the suggestions of Caroline Branson from “Spoon River” (1967/73), by Edgar Lee Masters. Here, Giacomelli's photography merges with the poetic word, returning images full of melancholy and memory, where time crystallizes.

The celebration is then held collaboration with the poet Francesco Permunian, in which Giacomelli builds a visual counterpoint to the poems “Ho la testa piena, mamma” (1994/95) and “The Snow Theater” (1984/86).

In this space, the images echo the words, in a close dialogue between verses and photography, between dream and reality, between lights and shadows that chase each other.

The exhibition ends with two works from his maturity, expressions of an increasingly essential and profound art: “Ninna nanna” (1985/87), inspired by Leonie Adams, and Happiness achieved, we walk (1986/88), born from the verses of Eugenio Montale. Here, Giacomelli's language reaches a supreme synthesis, transforming photography into pure poetic emotion, a final, intense look at the mystery of life.

And finally, the homage that Giacomelli dedicates to Franco Costabile's Calabria with the homonymous seriesand “The Song of the New Emigrants” (1984-85) represents what he knew of experience, of suffering, and which, as for the Calabrese poet, tells the love and pain of his homeland.

An immersive room envelops the visitor in the voice and images of the master, while the reproduction of his darkroom allows one to enter the heart of his creative process. Finally, some display cases collect the poetic compositions of Giacomelli himself, together with various documentary materials that testify how poetry has always represented one of the most profound and constant references of his artistic research.

On the occasion of this centenary, a substantial monographic volume will be presented, conceived and created by the Mario Giacomelli Archive and published by Silvana Editoriale, which will accompany both exhibitions at Palazzo Reale in Milano and of the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome.
Visitors who keep their ticket for the exhibition at Palazzo Reale will be able to access the exhibition in Rome with a reduced ticket, and vice versa.

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