Brigands! Stories and images from the Risorgimento to today

For the first time, a major exhibition investigates the phenomenon of brigandage Italian, since the end of 18th century to the present day, restoring its historical and cultural complexity. Brigands! Stories and images from the Risorgimento to today offers an exciting journey between history, myth and representation, dismantling the stereotypical and celebratory narratives that have populated our imagination.

Curated by a team of leading scholars, the exhibition brings together over 200 workspaintings, prints, uniforms, photographs, symbolic objects, film posters and multimedia content. The exhibition is divided into five chronological sections, from Mayno and Brother Devil until Salvatore Giuliano post-war period, analysing the multiple identities assumed by the figure of the brigand: enemy of the state, romantic rebel, popular icon, criminal figure or symbol of resistance.

Among the most significant pieces are the Carelli Album, which illustrates with rare expressive force the scenes of brigandage in the Neapolitan provinces, and the photographic portraits of executed brigands, a raw and powerful testimony to institutional violence. Enriching the route interactive installations curated by auroraMeccanica, which stimulate the observer to reflect on political use of the image, myth-making, popular iconography e autobiographical narratives.

The exhibition is accompanied by a film review and by seven thematic appointments, ranging from film, music, literature and historical play, offering an interdisciplinary look at a phenomenon that continues to interrogate our national identity.