Light from Italy: From Fattori to Morandi
From 5 July to 30 November 2025, the exhibition Light from Italy: From Fattori to Morandi is taking place in the Great Hall of the main building of the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga (Jaņa Rozentāla laukums 1), where masterpieces from the Pitti Palace Gallery of Modern Art at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence enter into dialogue with outstanding works of the late 19th and early 20th centuries from the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art.
For the first time in Northen Europe, a substantial collection from the Uffizi Galleries (Le Gallerie degli Uffizi) in Florence is exhibited – 74 masterpieces from the permanent exhibition and holdings of the Pitti Palace (Palazzo Pitti) Gallery of Modern Art. This selection reflects the main movements and directions of Italian art, from the Macchiaioli group to Divisionism, from Symbolism to forms of Italian Expressionism, from Futurism to Modern Classicism. The story of Italian art from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the interwar period of the 20th century is complemented by historical parallels with significant events in Latvia and a dialogue with highlights from the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art (LNMA).
This project is significant for the involvement of notable Italian art historians in the research of the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art, working together with LNMA specialists not only on the exhibition, but also on the concept for the scientific readings and the catalogue. The international team includes experts from both museums: Dr. Vanessa Gavioli and Dr. Elena Marconi, Heads of the Pitti Palace Gallery of Modern Art at the Uffizi Galleries; project directors – Astrīda Rogule, Curator of the Contemporary Art Collection at LNMA, and Dr. Guicciardo Sassoli de’ Bianchi Strozzi, President of Nuova Artemarea association, art historian, curator, in co-operation with Dr. art. Aija Brasliņa, leading LNMA researcher, Head of the Collections and Scientific Research Department (18th – 1st Half of the 20th Century). The author of the exhibition design is artist Artūrs Analts.
The works of Italian artists are displayed in the exhibition in conversation with late 19th century and Classical Modernist heritage from Latvia, which art experts in Latvia and around the world consider to be among the most internationally recognized aspects of Latvian cultural patrimony. This approach supports a deeper narrative of the shared cultural ties and interactions between the two countries and across Europe as a whole.
The title of the exhibition, Light from Italy, reflects a trend from the mid- and late 19th century – light became the principal element in the worldview of several artistic movements. It is no coincidence that the end of the 19th century is called visual art’s “years of light”, when fundamental changes took place in the aim, content and form of art. Artists in both Italy and Latvia were captivated by solutions for using light or its lack to tell a story and create a special mood.
On the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, many Latvian artists travelled to Italy, gaining unforgettable artistic impressions – studying the old masters, acquiring skills and even taking part in creative processes in Italy. This period of cross-pollination is represented in the exposition by a separate section, which tells not only about the experience of Latvian artists in Italy but also different forms of collaboration in Italy and Latvia.
The Uffizi Galleries’ collection in the exhibition features many prominent Italian artists, including Giovanni Fattori, Telemaco Signorini, Silvestro Lega, Federico Zandomeneghi, Giovanni Boldini, Medardo Rosso, Francesco Gioli, Giorgio Kienerk, Plinio Nomellini, Antonio Donghi, Vittore Grubicy de Dragon, Gino Severini, Giorgio de Chirico, Elisabeth Chaplin, Aldo Carpi, Guido Marussig, Leonardo Dudreville, Carlo Carrà, Italo Grizelli, and Giorgio Morandi. The Italy section is complemented by artworks by Neno Mori, Alberto Salietti and Filippo Marfori Savini from the LNMA collection acquired by the Riga City Art Museum in the 1930s following exhibitions of Italian art held in Latvia.
From the Latvian side, the artistic dialogue features Kārlis Hūns, Jūlijs Feders, Vilhelms Purvītis, Janis Rozentāls, Johans Valters, Jāzeps Grosvalds, Jēkabs Kazaks, Voldemārs Matvejs, Pēteris Krastiņš, Teodors Zaļkalns, Gustavs Šķilters, Niklāvs Strunke, Aleksandra Beļcova, and Jānis Liepiņš.
The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive events programme, among which particularly noteworthy are the scientific readings Light from Italy in three sessions. Continuing the narrative started in March, in July and November renowned Italian and Latvian art scholars will enrich the content of the exhibition with new nuances.
In collaboration with Uffizi Galleries and Nuova Artemarea, the leading art publishers in Italy, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani, has released a lavishly-illustrated catalogue in Latvian, Italian and English.
The project Light from Italy: From Fattori to Morandi is implemented by the Latvian National Museum of Art in co-operation with the Uffizi Galleries and association Nuova Artemarea with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, Riga City Council, Embassy of Italy in Riga, Rietumu Banka, Embassy of Latvia in Italy, Casa Nostra, Neiburgs, SIA Alfor.
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