Image: Museo di Santa Giulia, Brescia
A new exhibition opening at Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia gathers work by 40 contemporary photographers for a group portrait of the ‘Vittoria Alata’, one of the most celebrated Roman bronzes to survive in remarkable integrity. Titled ‘La Vittoria di Brescia. 40 fotografi e un’eterna bellezza’, the show opened on 17 July 2026 and runs through 1 November 2026.
Fondazione Brescia Musei says the exhibition inaugurates the bicentenary celebrations for the discovery of the ‘Vittoria Alata’. The project is presented as part of the programme for the 200 years of the Brescian bronzes, 1826-2026, and the institution describes it as the opening event in a broader series of festivities scheduled from 16 to 20 July 2026. The exhibition is curated by Giovanna Calvenzi.
According to the museum, the show brings together works by some of the best-known names in Italian photography, alongside other artists working in the medium today, to interpret the ancient sculpture through different styles, techniques and visual approaches. The list of participating photographers includes Gabriele Basilico, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Marcella Campagnano, Silvia Camporesi, Giovanni Chiaramonte, Francesco Cito, Giovanni Gastel, Franco Fontana, Carlo Mari and Paolo Ventura, among many others.
The exhibition frames the ‘Vittoria Alata’ not simply as an archaeological object but as a catalyst for contemporary artistic reflection. The museum’s description says each photographer confronted the sculpture through a personal stylistic language, creating a sequence of 40 views, 40 languages and 40 perspectives. The resulting body of work is presented as a kind of iconographic atlas in which the bronze becomes a starting point for thinking about the expressive possibilities of photography today.
The source material highlights a wide range of approaches within the exhibition. Some works emphasize the sculpture’s Greco-Roman majesty, others let it slip almost out of frame, while others transform it through painterly reconstruction, artificial intelligence or detailed analysis of its form. The roster also points to the breadth of the project, which includes photographers such as Isabella Balena, Alessandra Chemollo, Toni Thorimbert, Maurizio Galimberti, Albano Morandi, Joe Oppedisano, Luca Gilli, Paola Di Bello, Bruno Cattani and Barbara Zanon.
Fondazione Brescia Musei identifies several partners behind the initiative, including the Comune di Brescia and Alleanza Cultura, with Cavallerizza – Centro della Fotografia Italiana listed as a collaborator. The exhibition is included with the ‘Biglietto Musei’ or the ‘Biglietto Integrato Musei’. On Friday 17 July, admission to the exhibition is free. The museum at Museo di Santa Giulia is open Tuesday to Sunday, with Monday closing days, and the exhibition catalogue is published by Skira in 2026.
