Now Roberto Bolle has his portrait in a museum: the work enters the collection of the Museo del Novecento

Roberto Bolle now has a portrait of himself in a museum: titled Beauty Will Save the World (Roberto Bolle), the painting was created in 2024 by artist Patrizio di Massimo, and now the work dedicated to the étoile has been donated to Milan’s Museo del Novecento, thus entering its permanent collection. The painting has been temporarily placed on the ground floor, inside a kind of picture gallery.

The work had first been exhibited on the occasion of the artist’s solo exhibition Friends, Foes, Beds and Husbands (Friends, Foes, Beds and Beaus), in the spaces of the Gió Marconi gallery in Milan, which was held in 2025. This is the first pictorial depiction of Roberto Bolle, a celebrated figure in international dance and a world ambassador of Italian artistic excellence. The donation and entry into the Milan museum’s collection was made possible thanks to the director of the Museo del Novecento, Gianfranco Maraniello, and the Gió Marconi Gallery.

In the work, Patrizio di Massimo portrays Bolle in stage clothes on a box at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, a place deeply connected to the étoile’s career. Indeed, it was at La Scala that Bolle established himself as one of the greatest dance performers of our time, building a career capable of conquering the most prestigious international stages. Di Massimo’s gaze focuses not only on the public figure of the dancer, but also on his more intimate and reflective dimension. A central role is given to the mirror, an element that introduces a game of reflections.

Patrizio di Massimo’s painting focuses on subjects often from the art world, with the intention of fusing classical iconography and contemporary visual culture in his practice. His compositions are never the result of painting from life: in fact, the artist organizes photo shoots in which he coordinates in detail the friends involved in order to achieve the desired image.

"I am thrilled to share the news that my work Beauty Will Save the World (Roberto Bolle), 2024, has entered the fantastic collection of @museodel900 in Milan as a donation to the museum,“ reads an Instagram post by Patrizio Di Massimo. ”The work is a portrait of the iconic Italian étoile Roberto Bolle, with whom-after we first met a few years ago-I started a conversation about the relationship between ballet and painting. Creating this portrait became an intriguing and joyful challenge. It was an honor to work with Roberto and to be part of a permanent collection that I deeply adore."

Now Roberto Bolle has his portrait in a museum: the work enters the collection of the Museo del Novecento

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