Mario Nigro Retrospective at Palazzo Reale and Museo del Novecento

A comprehensive retrospective of Mario Nigro (Pistoia, 1917 – Livorno, 1992) is on view at Palazzo Reale and Museo del Novecento in Milan, curated by Elena Tettamanti and Antonella Soldaini. The exhibition spans the Tuscan abstractionist's entire career, from his early 1940s experiments to his lesser-known works from the 1980s onward. Nigro's abstract creations maintain a balance between rational structure and emotional impact, evolving with the spirit of the times while remaining autonomous and anticipatory. His work avoids didacticism, instead offering a progressive commentary on the world through near-minimalist abstraction. The exhibition at Museo del Novecento focuses on works on paper, showcasing Nigro's mastery of watercolor with firmness and expressiveness devoid of narrative or lyricism. The show highlights his architectural tendencies, evident in painted columns that extend beyond the canvas, and his rhythmic, almost musical approach to space and time.