Mario Schifano: an artistic metamorphosis at the Palazzo delle

Mario Schifano: an artistic metamorphosis at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni

The Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome presents a focused survey of Mario Schifano, a pivotal figure in postwar Italian art. The monographic exhibition brings together more than one hundred works that map the artist’s experimentation—from the famous monochromes of the 1960s to later paintings incorporating industrial enamel, television images and layered plexiglass.

The display highlights Schifano’s material and formal innovations: the adoption of industrial paints and enamels, the use of transparent or colored plexiglass as a filtering element, and later cycles such as Paesaggi TV, Personaggi TV, Al mare, Quadri equestri and Orti botanici. The monochrome section is central, showing how a single hue can redefine the relation between figure and ground and suspend pictorial depth.

• What to see: the dedicated monochrome gallery, TV-inspired paintings and immersive installations where painting expands into domestic space.
• Techniques: industrial enamel on canvas and paper, photographic transfers and plexiglass layering.
• Why visit: to follow the stylistic development of an artist who shaped Italian and international art scenes and to study his formal and conceptual solutions.

Practical information: the exhibition runs at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni (Palaexpo), Rome, until July 12, 2026. For opening times, ticket prices and visiting conditions please check the venue’s official channels.

This exhibition is recommended for anyone interested in twentieth-century Italian painting and in the material experimentation that characterizes Schifano’s work.