Unpublished photos of Queen from their final tour with Freddie Mercury arrive in Bologna

From July 10 to October 11, 2026, the International Museum and Library of Music in Bologna will host the photography exhibition QUEEN: The Last Tour. The exhibition features photos by Torleif Svensson from the 1986 Magic Tour, curated by Pascal Casadei van Raamsdonk and produced in collaboration with A Piece of His Own, with Radio Bruno as media partner. The exhibition, presented in Italy for the first time, is dedicated toQueen’s final tour with the complete original lineup—Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon—which marks its 40th anniversary in 2026.

The project brings together thirty-seven medium- and large-format photographic prints documenting the performances of the Magic Tour, which began in 1986 following the famous July 13, 1985, concert at Wembley Stadium in London for Live Aid. The tour, consisting of 26 dates, concluded on August 9, 1986, with a concert at Knebworth Park, near Stevenage, in front of approximately 120,000 spectators. On that occasion, Queen arrived at the venue aboard a helicopter decorated with artwork from the album *A Kind of Magic*.

Thanks to direct access to the stage and backstage areas, Swedish photographer Torleif Svensson was able to capture moments of the band during the concerts and behind the scenes, producing images that highlight the energy of the performances, the band’s connection with the audience, and Freddie Mercury’s stage presence. The photographs, which had remained in the photographer’s personal archive for decades, had never been shown publicly until the period between 2019 and 2021, when they were presented to mark the publication of the book *Queen - The Last Tour* and the first exhibition held in Sweden.

“These photographs document Queen’s final great journey. The items on display reveal their most intimate and human side: the stories, the people, and the memory that lives on through those who cherish it,” notes Pascal Casadei van Raamsdonk.

The exhibition, set within the permanent collection of the Museo della Musica, thus explores the relationship between image, memory, and the artist’s representation, bringing contemporary materials into dialogue with the institution’s historical collections.

Five photographs will be displayed in the galleries alongside various memorabilia: instruments, clothing, and accessories that belonged to the band members will be juxtaposed with artifacts preserved in the museum’s collections, highlighting the symbolic value attributed to objects linked to these great figures of music. Among these will be Roger Taylor’s drum cymbal and drumsticks, an official replica of the Red Special guitar produced by Brian May Guitars and autographed by Brian May, as well as a sixpence coin used by the musician as a pick during concerts.

The exhibition also draws parallels between certain aspects of Freddie Mercury’s life and career and the musical history preserved by the Museo della Musica. The singer’s passion for art and antiques—documented by the books and auction catalogs he used to select items for his collection—is juxtaposed with Father Martini’s collection, which consists of volumes, manuscripts, letters, musical libretti, and portraits of musicians. Mercury’s iconic status during the Magic Tour is, in turn, placed in dialogue with the phenomenon of the crowds that followed the great stars of European music, as was the case with Farinelli’s concerts.

Among the items on display is also the Elektra Records gold record awarded to Brian May for one million copies sold of the single “We Are The Champions,” juxtaposed with the Order of the Golden Spur conferred upon Mozart in 1770 by Pope Clement XIV.

A special section is dedicated to the period following Live Aid, a defining moment in Queen’s history. After their 1985 performance at Wembley, the band returned to Musicland Studios in Munich—founded by Giorgio Moroder in the early 1970s—where “One Vision” was created, a song co-written by all four band members and intended to open the concerts of the Magic Tour. This phase will also be illustrated by several items of clothing that belonged to Mercury, including the orange Rapax C.B. No. 4 tank top worn during the song’s recording sessions, which came from the auction of his personal memorabilia organized by Mary Austin, heir to the artist’s private collection.

Also on display will be the Machline T-shirt, linked to those same studio sessions, and the Champion T-shirt worn by Mercury upon his arrival in Japan during the final leg of the 1985 Works Tour, a testament to the relationship Queen built with their Japanese audience.

Another contribution to the exhibition comes from the Bolognese singer-songwriter Cesare Cremonini, a passionate fan and collector of the band, who is lending two items from his personal collection: the shirt worn by Freddie Mercury upon his arrival by helicopter at Knebworth Park on August 9, 1986, and the famous yellow Champion tank top worn during the concert.

Guided tours of the exhibition will be led by curator Pascal Casadei van Raamsdonk and Bernardo Lo Sterzo, a music educator and collaborator with the Music Museum, focusing on anecdotes related to the photographs and objects on display.

The initiative also coincides with another important anniversary for Bologna: in 2026, the city will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Music, awarded in 2006. The exhibition is part of the Bologna Estate 2026 program, promoted by the City of Bologna and the Metropolitan City of Bologna – Bologna-Modena Tourist Area.

The visual identity for “QUEEN The Last Tour: Photos by Torleif Svensson from the 1986 Magic Tour” was funded by the European Union as part of the National Metro Plus and Southern Medium-Sized Cities Program 2021–2027, Priority 7, Project BO7.5.1.1.b “Museums as a Lever for Tourism Development and Talent Promotion.”

Unpublished photos of Queen from their final tour with Freddie Mercury arrive in Bologna

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