The exhibition Art and Fascism analyses the variety of complex ways in which the Fascist regime influenced Italian figurative language and used art for propaganda purposes.

In fact, during the period of Fascist rule, the country’s artistic output was extremely rich and multifaceted. Alongside the ongoing avant-garde research of Futurism, there was a “return to order” which conflated into the Novecento Italiano movement founded by Margherita Sarfatti.

The return to classicism, perfect for underlining the Italian tradition, took various forms, from new interpretations of the great masters by the leading exponents of Novecento to more radical assertions of a propaganda art aimed at building consensus. This model, based on the restoration of harmony between tradition and modernity, enjoyed the support of the regime as it sought to define an organised “system of the arts”.
At the same time, the new places of governance became assertions of power thanks to a language, open to both classicism and rationalism, that comprised architecture, sculpture and mural art, reborn thanks to a renewed desire to celebrate.

The exhibition recalls the main occasions on which the artists of the period gave voice to the ideology, themes and myths of fascism through their participation in Biennials, Quadrennials, trade union exhibitions, competitions and public commissions.
Including paintings, sculptures, documents and projects, the exhibition displays over 300 works by artists and architects such as Mario Sironi, Carlo Carrà, Adolfo Wildt, Arturo Martini, Marino Marini, Massimo Campigli, Achille Funi, Fortunato Depero, Tullio Crali, Thayaht, Renato Bertelli and Renato Guttuso. Hailing from public and private collections, the works dialogue with some of the Mart's great masterpieces and with numerous materials from the Archivio del ‘900 collections.