Milan, 3 October 2022
The FS Group is a partner of the first retrospective in Italy dedicated to Max Ernst, the German painter, sculptor, poet and art theorist who went on to become a naturalised American and French citizen. Scheduled at the Palazzo Reale in Milan from 4 October 2022 to 26 February 2023, the exhibition is promoted and produced by the Municipality of Milano-Cultura and the Palazzo Reale with the Electa publishing house, in collaboration with Madeinart. There are over 400 works comprising paintings, sculptures, drawings, collages, photographs, jewellery and illustrated books from museums, foundations and private collections in Italy and abroad. This partnership confirms the commitment of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group, with CEO Luigi Ferraris at the helm, to the world of art and culture.
Customers of Trenitalia, the FS Group’s rail transport company, can enjoy discounts on tickets to the exhibition. CartaFRECCIA holders heading to Milan aboard Frecce or Intercity trains, travelling within three days from entering the exhibition, need only show their train ticket to visit the exhibition and enjoy special discounts of two entries for the price of one if travelling as a couple or a reduction on the entrance fee if travelling alone. There will also be a discount on the entry ticket for people who choose regional trains, upon presentation of a valid one-way ticket to Milan (again within three days from entering the exhibition) or a Trenitalia season pass (monthly or annual) with supra-regional fares (Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Veneto, Piedmont, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania) valid for trips to Milan.
The exhibition is curated by Martina Mazzotta, a Researcher at the Warburg Institute in London, and Jürgen Pech, Chief Curator of the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl from 2006 to 2021. The breadth of themes and experiments in the work of Ernst (1891–1976) extends across seventy years of 20th century history, between Europe and the United States, constantly eluding any definition. The exhibition narrates Ernst’s biographical hallmarks by grouping them into 4 major periods, which in turn are divided into 9 thematic rooms. An extensive and ideal artist’s library of illustrated books, study manuals, photographs, objects and documents unfurls through the entire exhibition, inviting visitors to engage in games of cross-references and correspondences between the sources of inspiration and the works themselves.