Depero space to space. The futuristic invasion at the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum – Milan – Arte.it

Milan – Two houses (and two collections) in the dialogue of the antipodes in the name of a common dream: that of inhabiting the spaces in a short circuit between ancient and contemporary that animated their creators, who were eager to house the art house under their own roof. It happens in the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum in Milan, a refined residence that the barons Fausto and Giuseppe Bagatti Valsecchi established in neo-Renaissance style at the end of the 19th century with an extraordinary collection of paintings and precious objects, and which was lived in by the family until 1974. From February 13, guests of honor in Via Gesù will be more than 40 works from the MART and the Casa d’Arte Fortunato Depero, an eccentric mansion that the brilliant artist Trentino wanted for himself in Rovereto, and decorated an old building with works of art, furniture, utensils and even toys, personally designed with an unmistakable, modern and irreverent style, and brought in line with the Manifesto of the futuristic reconstruction of the universe signed Giacomo Balla – art also in the homely atmosphere.35 years after the last monograph dedicated to Depero in Milan, Depero space to space. Creating memory will pay tribute to the multifaceted talents of the artist, who was also a designer, interior designer and set designer and had a strong interest in the design of spaces since the 1920s, organizing the applied arts exhibitions in Monza in 1923 and 1927 and the Exposition International des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris in 1925. Depero’s works are compared to the masterpieces of Casa Bagatti Valsecchi in a dialogue out of time, thanks to a captivating arrangement that also includes sound environments. The experience is complemented by the events of ViBiBar Depero. The futuristic aperitif at the Bagatti Valsecchi Museumwhich, between soft light, live jazz music and atmospheres from a bygone era, will evoke the iconic location that the artist has decorated for the Cantine Cavazzani in Bolzano with a series of seven colorful fabric inserts.

Fortunato Depero (Fondo, TN, 1892 – Rovereto, TN, 1960), Heads and pipes. Simultaneous Forms, 1945 oil on canvas, 45.8 x 36.5 cm. Mart, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto, Fondo Depero © FORTUNATO DEPERO by SIAE 2026

Finally, special attention will be paid to Depero’s ties with Milan, his favorite city. Here, in 1946, with the support of his collector friend Gianni Mattioli, the artist presented an important solo exhibition at the Il Camino gallery, and in 1962, two years after his death, his rediscovery would begin again from Milan, with a retrospective curated by Guido Ballo, followed in 1989 by the exhibition at the Villa Reale.

Inserted into the program of the 2026 Cultural Olympic Games in Milan Cortina, Depero space to space. Creating memory it will be open to visitors this year from February 13 to August 2 at the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum. The project will be introduced during the conference on Thursday, January 15 at the Harar Library Fortunato Depero: time and memoryheld by the director of the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum Antonio D’Amico on the theme of memory in artistic research and on the paths of the futurist visionary between Rovereto and Milan, on the interweaving of places, languages ​​and cultural transformations that shaped his vision of time.

Fortunato Depero (Fondo, TN, 1892 – Rovereto, TN, 1960), Flora, 1946, tempera on cardboard, 62.5 x 110.5 cm. Mart, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto, Fondo Depero © FORTUNATO DEPERO, by SIAE 2026

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