Agostino Arrivabene: Thesauros Exhibition at Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara

Curated by Vittorio Sgarbi, the exhibition 'Thesauros' at Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara presents forty works by Italian painter Agostino Arrivabene (born 1967, Rivolta D'Adda). The show spans from his early piece 'La custode dei destini' (1985) to recent works like 'Erotomachia infera' (2023), a Dante-inspired painting depicting Paolo and Francesca. Arrivabene's practice draws on Renaissance, Flemish, and Hellenic influences, referencing masters such as Ercole de' Roberti, whose impact is visible in 'Il sogno di Asclepio' (2015) and 'La grande opera' (2016). The latter pays homage to architect Étienne-Louis Boullée. The exhibition also features an esoteric self-portrait 'Lucifero' (1997) and experimental works like 'Homo novus – Opus magnum' (2018), 'Lossia. Il dio obliquo' (2022), and 'Vergine fossile' (2020) using encaustic on petrified wood. Sgarbi describes Arrivabene as the most eccentric and original figurative painter of his generation. The exhibition is housed in the newly renovated Ala Tisi wing, with permanent plaques honoring Roberto Longhi and Franco Farina.