Five Contemporary Art Exhibitions to See in March 2026 Across Italy

A selection of five significant contemporary art exhibitions opening in Italy during March 2026 presents diverse artistic engagements. In Turin, at Flashback Habitat until mid-October 2026, Alexander Mostafa Fazari presents 'Compassione,' a site-specific installation covering the interior of the former church space with golden emergency thermal blankets inscribed with Arabic calligraphy, creating an immersive environment addressing vulnerability and compassion. Florence's Palazzo Strozzi hosts a major Mark Rothko retrospective from March 14 to August 23, 2026, curated by Christopher Rothko and Elena Geuna. The exhibition features paintings never before shown in Italy, drawn from institutions including MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate, Centre Pompidou, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. It traces Rothko's evolution from figurative works to abstract color fields, with satellite sections at the Museo di San Marco and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. Bologna's Galleria Modernissimo presents 'Viva Varda! Il cinema è donna,' a comprehensive monographic exhibition on filmmaker Agnès Varda from March 5, 2026, to January 10, 2027. Organized by Cineteca di Bologna and La Cinémathèque française, and curated by Florence Tissot with artistic direction by Rosalie Varda, the 1,200-square-meter display spans Varda's film, photography, writing, and installations, highlighting her feminist perspective and blending of reality with fiction. Bergamo's Accademia Carrara presents 'TAROCCHI. Le origini, le carte, la fortuna' until June 2, 2026, the most extensive project dedicated to tarot card history. A key feature is the reunion of the 74-card Colleoni deck, pieces of which are held by Accademia Carrara, The Morgan Library & Museum in New York, and a private collection, exploring the cards' Renaissance origins and cultural symbolism. In Rome, the Musei Capitolini hosts 'Cartier e il Mito' until March 15, 2026, in the Palazzo Nuovo. The exhibition places iconic Cartier jewelry alongside ancient sculptures from the Capitoline collection, illustrating how Greco-Roman classical art has inspired the jewelry house's designs for over a century and a half. These exhibitions reflect a vibrant period in Italy's contemporary art scene, featuring both international and site-specific works.