The MAR in Ravenna has dedicated a permanent exhibition space to Paolo Roversi

On May 21, 2026, the MAR – Museo d’Arte della Città di Ravenna opened the Paolo Roversi Gallery, a permanent exhibition space curated by Chiara Bardelli Nonnino and dedicated to the famous Ravenna-born photographer, who is internationally recognized as one of the leading figures in contemporary photography. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through Roversi’s work, bringing together some of his most famous portraits, fashion photographs, and still lifes in a setting inspired by his studio. The exhibition aims to highlight the central role of light, shadow, and texture—elements that have always defined his photographic language.

Paolo Roversi’s style is distinguished by intimate images that slowly emerge from the darkness or dissolve into the light. Created primarily using analog techniques and long exposure times, his photographs convey a timeless quality, in which faces and figures take on a delicate, almost ethereal presence. Among the works on display are portraits of some of the most famous personalities photographed by the artist, including Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Stella Tennant, Natalia Vodianova, Rihanna, Golshifteh Farahani, and Stella Roversi, the photographer’s daughter.

The new gallery also highlights the deep connection between Roversi’s artistic vision and the city of Ravenna. Indeed, his images evoke the same quality of light, richness of texture, and sense of suspension that characterize the city’s Byzantine mosaics. Just as in the decorations of San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, in Roversi’s photographs light does not merely illuminate but constructs the image, shaping and transforming it. Photography and mosaics thus converge in a shared reflection on time, memory, and perception. The permanent exhibition space is conceived as an immersive and theatrical environment, where the space interacts with the works and guides the visitor through a journey marked by silences, apparitions, and constant shifts in light.

The MAR thus offers a unique opportunity to explore the work of an artist who revolutionized fashion photography and contemporary portraiture, while always maintaining an unmistakable stylistic signature.

The creation of the Paolo Roversi Gallery was made possible thanks to the European Value Plus project (Interreg Italy–Croatia program), the support of ENEL Green Power, and contributions from Marcegaglia, RM Srl Industrial Machinery, and Service Srl. The new gallery aims to serve as an international hub for scholars, enthusiasts, and visitors, further cementing Ravenna’s role in the contemporary visual arts scene.

The MAR in Ravenna has dedicated a permanent exhibition space to Paolo Roversi

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