The Masters of Brera on Show at Palazzo Citterio to Celebrate the Academy’s 250th Anniversary
Palazzo Citterio in Milan celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts with an exhibition dedicated to the great artists who have shaped its history. From Adolfo Wildt to Luciano Fabro, from Carlo Carrà to Grazia Varisco, a journey through generations of masters who, through their artistic practice and teaching, have helped redefine artistic languages in Italy.
On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Milan pays tribute to one of the institutions that has played a pivotal role in shaping and advancing Italian art. From 30 October 2026 to 10 January 2027, the Sala Stirling at Palazzo Citterio hosts I Maestri di Brera. Insegnare l’arte (The Masters of Brera. Teaching Art), an exhibition curated by Giovanni Iovane and Marina Gargiulo.
The exhibition traces the Academy’s history through works by some of its most influential teachers, highlighting the relationship between artistic practice and education. Spanning the twentieth century to the present day, it reveals how Brera has been not only a place for the transmission of knowledge, but also a laboratory for experimentation, fostering and embracing the evolution of artistic languages.
The exhibition begins with the section The Roots of Modernity (1920s–1940s), dedicated to the artists who guided the Academy’s transition from nineteenth-century traditions to the early developments of modern art. Among the key figures are Adolfo Wildt, Carlo Carrà, Arturo Martini and Achille Funi, artists with distinct backgrounds and artistic approaches who shared a significant role in redefining Italian artistic culture during the first half of the twentieth century. Particular attention is devoted to sculpture, a discipline that reveals some of the most significant tensions between the revival of tradition and the search for new forms of expression.
The exhibition continues with Marino Marini and Gastone Novelli, whose work reflects the Academy’s openness to the artistic transformations of the post-war period and its engagement with the avant-garde. They are joined by Lucio Fontana, a pivotal figure in twentieth-century art who, although he never taught at Brera, attended the Academy as a student of Adolfo Wildt. His inclusion in the exhibition highlights the institution’s role in nurturing artists who would go on to revolutionise artistic expression.
La seconda parte della mostra, La Brera Contemporanea e i Nuovi Linguaggi (Anni ’70–oggi), esplora il contributo dei docenti che hanno accompagnato l'Accademia verso una concezione sempre più aperta e interdisciplinare della pratica artistica.
Le opere di Alik Cavaliere, Luciano Fabro, Rodolfo Aricò, Grazia Varisco e Renata Boero restituiscono la pluralità delle ricerche che hanno attraversato l'arte italiana dagli anni Settanta, tra sperimentazione dei materiali, ridefinizione dello spazio, indagine percettiva e superamento dei confini disciplinari.
In questo contesto, l'insegnamento emerge come un terreno di confronto tra esperienze e generazioni differenti, nel quale la ricerca individuale degli artisti contribuisce a trasformare il modo stesso di concepire la formazione. L'Accademia si configura così non soltanto come luogo di apprendimento delle tecniche, ma come uno spazio nel quale interrogare criticamente il significato e le possibilità dell'arte.
The second part of the exhibition, Contemporary Brera and New Artistic Languages (1970s–Present), explores the contributions of the teachers who guided the Academy towards an increasingly open and interdisciplinary approach to artistic practice.
The works of Alik Cavaliere, Luciano Fabro, Rodolfo Aricò, Grazia Varisco and Renata Boero reflect the diversity of artistic research that has shaped Italian art since the 1970s, encompassing experimentation with materials, the redefinition of space, perceptual exploration and the crossing of disciplinary boundaries.
In this context, teaching emerges as a space for dialogue between different experiences and generations, where artists’ individual research contributes to transforming the very concept of artistic education. The Academy thus becomes not merely a place for acquiring technical skills, but also a space for critically questioning the meaning and possibilities of art.
The exhibition concludes with a section dedicated to the teaching legacy of Alberto Garutti, Fausta Squatriti, Giuseppe Maraniello and Ugo La Pietra, artists and educators who have helped shape new generations, passing on not only artistic tools and techniques but, above all, different ways of observing and interpreting reality.
Their inclusion highlights one of the exhibition’s central themes: the relationship between the teacher’s artistic identity and the student’s creative independence.
Teaching art, after all, is not simply about passing down established knowledge. It is also a process of dialogue and exchange, in which different experiences, methodologies and perspectives can inspire new avenues of artistic research.
From this perspective, Brera’s history also becomes a story of relationships, influences and transformations, in which each generation contributes to redefining the relationship between tradition and innovation.
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