Safeguarding the Twentieth Century

The exhibition arises from the donation of an important collection of works to the Piccolomuseo in memory of Umberto Zaccaria, painter, art critic and tireless cultural promoter, a leading figure in Italian art of the second half of the twentieth century. The exhibition brings together artists who, alongside others already present in the Piccolomuseo’s collection, shared with Zaccaria experiences, friendships and significant human and professional journeys, reconstructing a network of relationships that helped shape one of the most fertile seasons of Italian contemporary art. The donation now allows this artistic community to be ideally reassembled, restoring a cultural and human context that goes beyond the value of the individual works. More than a simple exhibition, this is a journey through the memory of Italian art, and it confirms the Piccolomuseo’s vocation to preserve, promote and pass on not only the works themselves, but also the stories, relationships and cultural heritage they represent.