Mel Ramos Retrospective Opens at Palazzo Bragadin Carabba in Venice

On May 3, 2026, Palazzo Bragadin Carabba in Venice opened "Mel Ramos: Un’iconografia della bellezza americana," the first comprehensive retrospective in Italy dedicated to the American Pop Art painter (1935–2018). Curated by Elisa Carollo and produced by Ronald Harrar in collaboration with the artist's archive, the exhibition runs through November 22, 2026. Ramos, a West Coast Pop Art figure, is known for his pin-up paintings that fuse academic precision with Bay Area influences from Richard Diebenkorn and Willem de Kooning. The show features masterpieces like "Phantom Lady" (1963) and "Miss Liberty – Frontier Heroine" (1962), alongside a 1959 self-portrait. Carollo's curatorial approach emphasizes Ramos's dialogue with art history—from Botticelli to Manet—and his critique of capitalist realism and media-driven desire. The exhibition also addresses contemporary relevance, noting how AI and social media perpetuate similar beauty stereotypes.