Bruce Gilden in Brescia: 'A closer look' at the Museo di Santa Giulia

A closer look: Bruce Gilden at Museo di Santa Giulia

From 27 March to 23 August 2026 the Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia presents A closer look, the first large-scale Italian retrospective dedicated to New York photographer Bruce Gilden. The exhibition displays around 80 photographs spanning more than four decades, with a strong focus on flash portraits and street photography.

Highlights of the exhibition

• An initial black-and-white section documenting the early years (from 1968).
• Reportage and portraits from across the globe: New York (1969–1995), Japan (Yakuza-related portraits, 1996–1999), Haiti (1985–1995) and various European chapters.
• The Faces series (2013–2024): close-up portraits characterized by harsh contrast, flash use and physical proximity that reveal expressive detail and social conditions.
• Two film screenings: a documentary produced by Magnum Photos and an interview in which Gilden discusses his career with photographer Martin Parr.

Site-specific project: Grace / Grazia at Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo

Alongside the retrospective, the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo hosts from 27 March to 12 July 2026 the site-specific installation Grace / Grazia. Bruce Gilden for Raffaello. Commissioned in the context of the loan of two Raphael masterpieces to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the photographic work reinterprets Raffaelesque iconography with frontal light and a formal construction that emphasizes the figures' corporeal humanity.

Dossier show: Bruce Gilden. Haiti at Spazio Contemporanea

Completing the program is Bruce Gilden. Haiti at Spazio Contemporanea (26 March – 13 June 2026), featuring a selection of twenty images from Paolo Clerici’s collection documenting the photographer’s long engagement with the island.

Practical information

• Opening day and free entry: on the first public day, Friday 27 March 2026, admission to A closer look and to the Pinacoteca for the Grace / Grazia project will be free.
• Main exhibition period: 27/03/2026 – 23/08/2026 (Museo di Santa Giulia).
• Pinacoteca project period: 27/03/2026 – 12/07/2026 (Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo).
• Dossier show: 26/03/2026 – 13/06/2026 (Spazio Contemporanea).
• Check the museum's official channels for opening hours, ticket prices, guided tours and related events before planning your visit.

Why go: the exhibition provides a thorough overview of Bruce Gilden’s visual language: the intensity of close-up portraiture, the revelatory function of flash, and a photographic practice attentive to urban and social realities. Paired with the Raphael-inspired site-specific project and the Haiti dossier, the program situates Gilden’s work within broader artistic and historical conversations, appealing to photography lovers and museum audiences alike.