Genoa's Palazzo Ducale Explores Nostalgia from Renaissance to Contemporary

Palazzo Ducale in Genoa presents "Nostalgia. Modernità di un sentimento dal Rinascimento al Contemporaneo," a major exhibition with 120 works tracing the history of nostalgia. Curated by Matteo Fochessati in collaboration with Anna Vyazemtseva of the Wolfsoniana, the show is the first under the new directorship of Ilaria Bonacossa. The exhibition opens with Johannes Hofer's 1688 medical dissertation defining nostalgia as "pain of return" and features a large sculpture by Marzaroli. It unfolds across 12 thematic sections in the Doge's apartments and chapel, including a site-specific installation by Anish Kapoor. Sections explore nostalgia for home, paradise, the classical, the ancient, elsewhere, happiness, and infinity, with works by Ingres, Dürer, Savinio, Adrian Paci, Brueghel the Younger, Gio Ponti, Boldini, Balla, and Spalletti. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog with essays from sociologists, historians, and medical experts, plus workshops and a forthcoming podcast with Chora Media.