Mario Raciti: First Major Retrospective at Palazzo Reale, Milan

Italian painter Mario Raciti, known for his elusive and poetic abstraction, is the subject of a major retrospective at Palazzo Reale in Milan, running from July 1 to September 20, 2026. Titled "Mario Raciti. Opere 1952-2025," the exhibition marks the artist's first large-scale institutional show in his 72-year career. In an interview with Kamil Sanders for Juliet Art Magazine, Raciti discusses his lifelong resistance to art-world trends, his philosophical approach to painting as an exploration of the invisible and the 'beyond,' and his critique of the commodification of art. He reflects on his early years in the 1960s when he deliberately remained outside movements like Pop Art and Conceptualism, describing himself as a 'loose dog.' The exhibition begins with his 'Edipo a Colono' (Oedipus at Colonus), a work that sets the tone for a chronological journey through his oeuvre, which often features motifs like doors, antennas, and coffins as metaphors for the unknowable. Raciti also shares his frustration with the market, noting that his works sell for little at auction, and he sells a family house to live off the proceeds. He expresses hope for the younger generation, quoting Hölderlin: 'The rest is said by poets.' The show is curated with the support of the artist's studio and includes works from 1952 to 2025, with photographs by Riccardo Molino.