Roberto Daolio's Donation to MAMbo: A Curator's Legacy of Gift and Generosity

The MAMbo museum in Bologna has inaugurated a Project Room dedicated to the late critic and curator Roberto Daolio (1948-2013), featuring works from his personal collection donated to the museum. The exhibition, curated by the museum, presents a non-intentional collection that reflects Daolio's lifelong commitment to discovering and supporting emerging artists. Works by Maurizio Cattelan, Igort, Jori, Alessandra Andrini, Annalisa Cattani, Chiara Pergola, Cuoghi e Corsello, Pessoli, and many others are on display. The show explores the concept of gift-giving as a social bond, referencing Marcel Mauss's theory of the triple obligation to give, receive, and reciprocate. Daolio, who taught Cultural Anthropology from 1977 to 2012, embodied this ethos through his generous and vigilant curatorial practice. The donation to MAMbo represents a final act of gift, returning his collection to the city that had become less welcoming to his militant criticism and public art. The Project Room invites reflection on what it means to kindle a flame.