Bruno Marrapodi's 'Hotel Splendid' Exhibition at Vetra Navigli Bar in Milan

Curator Giacomo Nicolella Maschietti has organized an unconventional exhibition inside the Vetra Navigli bar in Milan, featuring works by artist Bruno Marrapodi (born 1982, Milan). Titled 'Hotel Splendid – Una stella soltanto,' the show evokes the melancholic and passionate nights of Milan's one-star hotels from the past century, where bidets and sinks were placed next to beds, and names like Hotel Splendid, Hotel Capri, and Hotel Acapulco promised exotic escapes. Marrapodi's oil-on-canvas works, dominated by curved lines and a palette of blue, violet, and aqua green, depict dreamlike scenes blending daily life with suspended castles. The curator draws comparisons to Marc Chagall and Francis Bacon, while noting similarities to Flaminia Veronesi's bestiary. The exhibition also includes 'pizzini'—paper napkin sketches made by Marrapodi this summer, capturing events from celebrity deaths (Emilio Fede, Robert Radford, Giorgio Armani, Pippo Baudo) to watch thefts in Milan. The bar's opening hours (6 PM to midnight) align with the venue's aperitivo culture. The show runs from September 26 at Vetra Navigli, located on Milan's Navigli canals.