The exhibition presents works by modern and contemporary artists inspired by the art of Giotto, the master who revolutionised medieval painting.
In the early 20th century, Carlo Carrà, Mario Sironi and Arturo Martini – but also Gino Severini, Massimo Campigli, Achille Funi and Ubaldo Oppi, found in Giotto the primary example of a timelessness they could aspire to.
A few decades later, Giotto's legacy influenced the work of some leading figures in Italian art such as Giorgio Morandi, Fausto Melotti, Mario Radice and Lucio Fontana, but also of great international artists such as Henri Matisse, Yves Klein, Mark Rothko, Josef Albers, Tacita Dean and James Turrell.
With “Giotto and the 20th century” Mart reaffirms its focus on connecting the ancient and the contemporary, following the line of enquiry desired by President Vittorio Sgarbi.