Liberty. Modern Italian art in Brescia
There are exhibitions that do more than just describe a style, because they manage to convey an atmosphere, a way of looking at the world, an idea of the future. Liberty. The Art of Modern Italy is one such exhibition, and if you love art that is both elegant and revolutionary, this is a destination that is truly worth the trip.
From 24 January to 14 June 2026, Palazzo Martinengo in Brescia invites you to step into late 19th and early 20th century Italy, a period marked by enthusiasm, a desire for modernity and an extraordinary belief in the power of art to change everyday life.
Liberty: when Italy discovers modernity
Between the end of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century, Liberty spread rapidly throughout Europe, taking on different names but maintaining the same spirit.
In France it was Art Nouveau, in England Modern Style, in Germany Jugendstil, in Austria Sezession. In Italy, it took shape as the new style or floral style, recognisable for its sinuous lines, natural motifs and an elegance that seems to never age.
This new sensibility did not only affect painting and sculpture, but also architecture, graphic design, fashion, photography, applied arts and even the nascent cinema. The exhibition in Brescia recounts this moment of transformation, when art dialogues with society and the profound changes in modern life.
Curated by Manuel Carrera, Davide Dotti and Anna Villari, the exhibition features over one hundred masterpiecesfrom important Italian museums and private collections, often little known to the general public. The result is a journey that manages to surprise even those who think they already know Art Nouveau.
The works on display interact with the major exhibitions that marked the era, from the first Venice Biennales to the 1902 International Exhibition in Turin, to the great 1911 exhibition in Rome dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Unification of Italy. This comparison allows visitors to reinterpret well-known masterpieces and discover extremely rare works, some of which have never been exhibited before.
The exhibition is divided into eight thematic sections and guides the viewer’s gaze through paintings by Vittorio Matteo Corcos, Gaetano Previati, Plinio Nomellini, Ettore Tito, Amedeo Bocchi and Cesare Tallone, alongside bronze and marble sculptures by Edoardo Rubino, Leonardo Bistolfi and Libero Andreotti.
Alongside the works of art, the exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into everyday life at the time. Elegant women’s dresses, brightly coloured advertising posters, refined ceramics and graphic materials tell the story of a world in which aesthetics and functionality intertwine. Posters by Leonardo Dudovich, Leopoldo Metlicovitz and Giovanni Battista Carpanetto interact with Galileo Chini’s nature-inspired ceramics, restoring all the visual richness of Italian Art Nouveau.
One section is also dedicated to cinema, then in its infancy, with a focus on the emerging phenomenon of stardom. This in-depth analysis allows us to understand how Art Nouveau was a total language, capable of influencing imaginations, behaviours and desires.
Visiting this exhibition means immersing yourself in one of the most fertile periods of European art, observing how Italy was able to interpret modernity with a personal and recognisable style.
Why visit the exhibition
If you love exhibitions that combine beauty, history and storytelling, Liberty. The Art of Modern Italy is an event to mark in your diary.
Palazzo Martinengo becomes the ideal place to rediscover an era that changed the way we think about art and everyday life, leaving you with that rare feeling of timeless elegance.
Exhibition information
LIBERTY
The Art of Modern Italy
Curated by Manuel Carrera, Davide Dotti, Anna Villari
BRESCIA, PALAZZO MARTINENGO
24 January to 14 June 2026
Advance booking of admission tickets is strongly recommended.
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About me
In this blog, I don't explain the history of art — I tell the stories that art itself tells.