From Dec. 11 until Jan. 11, 2026, the Sala Fontana at Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome is hosting the exhibition Giorgio Morandi in the Eni Collection. A journey through the cultural history of the six-legged dog and the legacy of Enrico Mattei, promoted by the Department of Culture of Roma Capitale and the Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, realized by Palaexpo and conceived, curated and produced by Eni. The exhibition highlights two still lifes by Giorgio Morandi (Bologna, 1890-1964), dated 1919 and 1941 respectively, belonging to the historical core of the Eni Collection, founded by Enrico Mattei in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
The company’s collection, which began with the acquisition of works by artists such as Morandi, Casorati, Sironi, De Pisis, Cantatore and Guttuso, reflects a cultural conception that goes beyond mere economic investment. Mattei conceived art as an element that could enrich the company’s work environment, creating a visually stimulating space for employees. Over the years, the Eni Collection has expanded to include works by Boetti, Adami and Rotella, and continues to be made available to curators around the world for free exhibitions and displays. The two still lifes by Morandi featured in the Rome exhibition have already traveled abroad, finding space in exhibitions in Japan, Russia, the United States and Spain. Their presence in the Eni Collection testifies to a profound consonance between the Bolognese artist’s poetics, characterized by concentration, essentiality and measure, and Mattei’s cultural vision, which interpreted art as an exercise in the rigor of the gaze. The works from 1919 and 1941 embody a quiet and composed balance, elements that reflect the values behind the birth of the company’s collection.
“Eni’s artistic heritage, divided between the Rome and Milan offices, tells first of all a great artistic curiosity of the company,” explains Lucia Nardi, Head of Corporate Culture at Eni. “Classic and avant-garde artists, figurative and abstract works coexist in the collection. At the basis of the choices, however, there is always an awareness of the value of art itself and its ability to activate thought and creativity. Eni’s works decorate common spaces and offices and are there to remind us that culture and industry, art and technology are not opposing concepts but complementary.”
“The Fontana Room at Palazzo Esposizioni,” adds Marco Delogu, president of Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, “is a space designed to host collected projects, yet capable of generating deep reflections. Presenting here some of Giorgio Morandi’s works from the Eni Collection is a source of great satisfaction for us. The collaboration with Eni represents a virtuous example of how public institutions and private entities can work together to make accessible a cultural heritage that is otherwise not visible. We are happy to offer the public the opportunity to meet up close with these masterpieces, which tell an important part of Italian art history and the relationship between business and culture.”
The exhibition offers the opportunity to observe how the Eni Collection, over time, has been able to combine artistic research with the industrial and cultural history of the company. Palazzo Esposizioni, through this initiative, allows the public to interact with works that testify to a relationship between business and art built on principles of rigor, continuity and international openness.
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| Giorgio Morandi's still lifes from the ENI collection on display at the Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome |
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