The exhibitions to see in February in Italy

Among your New Year's resolutions are broadening your horizons, trying new things, going out more, and refining your cultural knowledge? If the answer is yes, then you should definitely add one or more exhibitions to your agenda for February 2025. Scattered throughout Italy, there are exhibitions of photographs, sculptures, paintings, video installations, and multisensory projects created by artists from diverse backgrounds, styles, and historical periods. The Palazzo Reale in Milan, for example, explores the work of George Hoyningen-Huene, a pioneer of fashion photography; while Carol Rama and her graphic art take center stage in a Bologna exhibition. Palazzo Roverella, on the other hand, brings to Rovigo the paintings of the "artist who painted women from behind", the Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi. Which one inspires you the most?

Exhibitions to See in February in Italy

George Hoyningen-Huene - Milan

The Palazzo Reale in Milan celebrates one of the pioneers of fashion photography, George Hoyningen-Huene, with an exhibition open until May 18, 2025. The son of an American mother and an Estonian baron, he fled Russia after the October Revolution, moving to London with his family before settling in Paris in 1920. In the City of Light, he became part of the inner circle of Man Ray, who was the first to teach him the basics of photography. He also collaborated with artists such as Salvador Dalí, Lee Miller, Pablo Picasso, Paul Éluard, and Jean Cocteau. His refined, cosmopolitan education, rooted in classical culture, blended with the avant-garde surrealist movement. The Milan exhibition traces his career, from his collaborations with Madame Grès and Elsa Schiaparelli to his work with Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, which captured the evolution of haute couture aesthetics between the 1920s and 1930s and cemented his reputation as a pioneer of fashion photography. The exhibition also features his Hollywood photography and portraits of movie stars. Among the more than 100 works on display, a standout piece is "Divers," an iconic image of Horst P. Horst and Lee Miller viewed from behind, which Anna Wintour selected as one of her top five favorite photographs in Vogue's long history.

Title: George Hoyningen-Huene. Glamour and Avant-garde

When: Until May 18, 2025

Where: Palazzo Reale, Milan

Vilhelm Hammershøi - Rovigo

The paintings of Vilhelm Hammershøi depict sparse, essential, almost austere domestic interiors, often featuring women seen from behind—frequently his wife, Ida—illuminated by the stark white light of the North and wrapped in an atmosphere that is suspended, unsettling, or even "neurasthenic," as some have described it. The new exhibition at Palazzo Roverella in Rovigo offers visitors a chance to see these works up close, experiencing their minimalist intimacy and subtle allure firsthand. As curator and art historian Paolo Bolpagni explains, the exhibition, open from February 21 to June 29, aims "not only to provide the Italian public with an opportunity to closely examine the works of an extraordinary painter" but also to explore Hammershøi’s relationship with Italy and other European artists.

Title: Hammershøi and the Painters of Silence Between Northern Europe and Italy

When: February 21 to June 29, 2025

Where: Palazzo Roverella, Rovigo

Henri Cartier-Bresson - Turin

Henri Cartier-Bresson is one of the masters of 20th-century photography, but how many are familiar with his relationship with Italy? To find out, head to Turin's CAMERA – Italian Center for Photography from February 14 to June 2, 2025. Here, 160 photographs and archival materials, displayed in chronological order, offer a snapshot of Italy between the 1930s and 1970s. Cartier-Bresson first visited Italy in 1932 and returned several times. In the 1970s, his focus shifted to the South, particularly on the transformations brought by industrialization. Thanks to a collaboration with the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris, these images capture the social contrasts of a country in flux, giving visitors a unique perspective on Italy’s history and evolution.

Title: Henri Cartier-Bresson and Italy

When: February 14 to June 2, 2025

Where: CAMERA – Italian Center for Photography, Turin

Carol Rama - Bologna

Born in Turin in 1918, Carol Rama was one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. To mark the 10th anniversary of her passing, Villa delle Rose in Bologna is hosting an exhibition titled CAROL RAMA. Unique Multiples, focusing on a series of multiples she created between 1993 and 2005 in collaboration with Franco Masoero Edizioni d’Arte. Balancing technical expertise and poetic expression, each of her printed works—produced in series—becomes unique, vibrant, and powerful, embodying “characters, seductions, fetishes, and idylls.” The result is a creative kaleidoscope exploring themes central to Rama’s artistic journey, such as desire, the body, female identity, and memory. The Bologna exhibition offers visitors the chance to discover and appreciate Rama, an artist of great importance to Italian and international art who, despite her impact, was long marginalized.

Title: CAROL RAMA. Unique Multiples

When: Until March 30, 2025

Where: Villa delle Rose, Bologna

Bruce Davidson - Ferrara

Zabriskie Point is a cult film that tells the story of a rebellious student, involved in the death of a police officer, who escapes on a private plane and lands at Zabriskie Point in the California desert, where he meets a young woman. The film explores the countercultural youth movements of its time. Director Michelangelo Antonioni personally chose Bruce Davidson as the set photographer, commissioning a reportage that would become iconic. Davidson’s portraits, glimpses of Los Angeles, the lunar landscapes of Death Valley, and behind-the-scenes moments from the film are now showcased in Bruce Davidson / Zabriskie Point. Faces of America, an exhibition open until May 4, 2025, at Spazio Antonioni in Ferrara.

Title: Bruce Davidson / Zabriskie Point. Faces of America

When: Until May 4, 2025

Where: Spazio Antonioni, Ferrara

Gabriele Celsa - Catania

Every year on February 3, 4, and 5, Catania honors its patron saint, Saint Agatha, with a spectacular festival that attracts a million people, including both devoted worshippers and curious visitors from around the world. It’s an event that blends deep religious devotion with folklore. The highlight occurs on February 5, when the relics of the saint are carried in a grand procession that often continues into the early hours of the next day. Gabriele Celsa has documented the celebrations over the past two years, capturing the expressive power of the participants illuminated by candlelight. The result is a collection of 22 street photography shots, showcased in the exhibition Agathè - The Light of a People, on view until February 20, 2025, at CLAFF, a coffee lab and fusion food venue in Catania.

Title: Agathè - The Light of a People

When: Until February 20, 2025

Where: CLAFF, Catania

Domenico Pellegrino - Palermo

For those looking for something different from a traditional exhibition, Iconic Women Multimedia Experience is a must-see. This immersive and multisensory experience blends images, words, music, and augmented reality. Domenico Pellegrino uses modern techniques to reinterpret the luminous decorations typical of Southern Italian tradition, bringing to life 11 iconic women who have left a lasting mark on collective imagination—from Raffaella Carrà to Moira Orfei, from Madonna to Queen Elizabeth. Their stories are told through the voices of renowned Sicilian women in entertainment and culture, combined with texts by Eleonora Lombardo and a curated musical selection by Donatella Sollima, inspired by the artworks on display.

Title: Iconic Women Multimedia Experience

When: until May 4, 2025

Where: Palazzo Mazzarino, Palermo

From Pietro Fabris to Vincenzo Gemito - Naples

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples has recently opened the exhibition From Pietro Fabris to Vincenzo Gemito. New Acquisitions of the MANN in Room 95, where, until February 24, 2025, it will showcase one hundred new acquisitions. These works have been added to the museum's collection over the past two years through purchases and donations, including watercolors, gouaches, engravings, vintage photographs of the museum's halls and Pompeii, as well as nineteenth-century replicas of the most famous ancient bronzes.

Title: From Pietro Fabris to Vincenzo Gemito. New Acquisitions of the MANN

When: until February 24, 2025

Where: MANN - National Archaeological Museum of Naples, Naples

Deserts - Bari

The gallery Muratcentoventidue Artecontemporanea has organized a group exhibition featuring six artists from various countries who have chosen to set their works in the deserts of our planet. Each artist, in their own way, explores the metaphysical depth of a timeless space—a non-place that has always exerted a powerful fascination. Until February 28, 2025, you can view the photographs and videos created by Shirin Abedinirad, Elisabetta Di Sopra, Julia Charlotte Richter, Eleonora Roaro, Raeda Saadeh, Sira-Zoé Schmid.

Title: Deserts

When: until February 28, 2025

Where: Muratcentoventidue Artecontemporanea, Bari

Nutella - Rome

Nutella is celebrating its 60th anniversary with an exhibition at MAXXI in Rome. In 1946, Pietro Ferrero, a pastry chef from Piedmont, created Pasta Gianduja or Giandujot, which, after several revisions, evolved into Nutella. The first official jar was sold in 1964. Since then, a long journey began, leading to the creation of the world’s most famous spread. The Rome exhibition tells its story through a multisensory experience, which will be available for visits until April 20, 2025.

Title: joyn! A Journey into the Nutella World for its 60th Anniversary

When: until April 20, 2025

Where: MAXXI, Rome