Giuseppe Bergomi

The exhibition spread between the Santa Giulia Museum and the Castle celebrates one of the greatest exponents of contemporary figurative sculpture with 84 works tracing the entire career of the Brescian artist. The route, arranged chronologically, begins with the 1978when Bergomi made his debut at Brescia Engraving Gallery with an exhibition of paintings only, including the Family portrait, which also opens the current exhibition. This crucial event convinced Bergomi to switch from painting to sculpture. In 1982always at Engraving Galleryhe realised a solo exhibition with the first polychrome terracottas, already characterised by the importance of the biographical, visible in the presence of his wife Alma as a model.

The exhibition continues with significant works such as Sleeping bather (1991) e Large nude of teenager (1991), which mark Bergomi's transition towards a sculpture that recalls the ancient tradition, in particular the Etruscan tradition. From the 2000s, the artist switched from terracotta to bronze, maintaining colour as a distinctive element, with works such as Interior of bathroom with female figure (2001) e Self-portrait (2004). Remarkable is Ellipseset up in the outdoor spaces of the Santa Giulia Museumcreating an evocative dialogue with the architecture of the monastery.

The exhibition also includes public sculptures such as Men, dolphins, parallelepipeds (2000) for the Nagoya Aquarium and the monument to Cristina Trivulzio di Belgiojoso, the first public sculpture in Milan dedicated to a woman. The exhibition concludes with Africa with celloexhibited at the 2011 Venice Biennale, and the previously unseen Breakfast in bed (2024)celebrating three generations of the artist's family.