Boldini Exhibition Opens at MART Rovereto Curated by Vittorio Sgarbi

The MART museum in Rovereto has reopened with the exhibition 'Boldini. Il Piacere', curated by Vittorio Sgarbi, who directs both MART and Fondazione Ferrara Arte. The show juxtaposes Giovanni Boldini (born in Ferrara, 1842) with Gabriele D'Annunzio, whose 1889 novel 'Il Piacere' inspired the title. A central room features Boldini's portrait of Marchesa Luisa Casati Stampa (c. 1911), linking the painter, the poet, and the socialite. The exhibition includes a soundscape by pianist Cesare Picco and violinist Luca Giardini. Other highlights are 'Fuochi d'artificio' (c. 1890) and 'Due cavalli bianchi' (c. 1874), the latter originally part of a larger canvas cut by the artist. Boldini, who moved from Ferrara to Florence and then Paris, was admired by Degas, Manet, and Courbet. The show reflects Sgarbi's characteristic approach, blending scholarship with showmanship.