Carol Rama takes center stage in Pistoia with seven works that trace the evolution of her artistic practice

From October 3, 2026, to February 14, 2027, Palazzo de’ Rossi in Pistoia will host the fifth edition of In Visita, a project promoted by the Fondazione Pistoia Musei that explores the work of leading figures in 20th-century and contemporary art through a temporary exhibition of works included in the permanent “Collezioni del Novecento” exhibition, dedicated to artists active in Pistoia during the last century. Following the edition dedicated to Giacomo Balla, the initiative now focuses on Carol Rama (Turin, 1918–2015), one of the most autonomous and independent figures in 20th-century art.

Curated by Monica Preti, general director of Fondazione Pistoia Musei, and Annamaria Iacuzzi, curator of the 20th-Century Collections, in collaboration with the Carol Rama Archive, the exhibition brings together seven works from the Gallerie d’Italia – Intesa Sanpaolo Collections and a private collection. The exhibition spans a period from the early 1950s to the first half of the 1970s, highlighting some lesser-known phases of the Turin-born artist’s creative journey.

The works document the transition from her engagement with abstraction within the Concrete Art Movement (MAC) in the 1950s to the development of a personal, informal aesthetic in the so-called “Bricolages”—works in which recycled materials and discarded objects are integrated into the pictorial surface. The exhibition continues with the experiments of the *Luoghi e segno* series, characterized by the use of bicycle inner tubes in the works known as *Gomme*, leading up to the diagrams of the early 1970s, created with thread sewn onto fabric.

This selection offers a glimpse into the evolution of Carol Rama’s artistic practice, internationally recognized for her distinctive artistic language that addressed themes such as the body, desire, illness, and identity, anticipating issues that would later become central to contemporary art.

“In Visita” is a project by Fondazione Pistoia Musei, realized with the support of Fondazione Caript, in partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo, and with the support of the companies in Pistoia Musei’s Corporate Membership program. The exhibition is accompanied by a book published by Gli Ori-Pistoia, featuring texts by Monica Preti and Annamaria Iacuzzi and a critical essay by Maria Grazia Messina.

Carol Rama takes center stage in Pistoia with seven works that trace the evolution of her artistic practice

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