Image: Fondazione MAST CIAO, Bologna
Fondazione MAST in Bologna is keeping its Bernd and Hilla Becher retrospective open through late summer with a package of free public activities that includes guided tours, a family day and a cinema program. The exhibition, 'Bernd & Hilla Becher. History of a Method', remains on view until 27 September 2026 in the MAST.Galleries, where admission is free and the galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The institution also says the galleries will be regularly open on Saturday 15 August.
Curated by Gabriele Conrath-Scholl, Max Becher and Urs Stahel, the retrospective is described by the foundation as an extensive survey of the German husband-and-wife duo, who are central figures in 20th-century photography. The show brings together more than 350 original black-and-white photographs alongside a large body of supporting materials. According to the exhibition information, it is being presented for the first time in Europe in a way that emphasizes the thematic breadth of the Bechers’ work.
The exhibition is organized in 10 sections that examine the subjects and working methods that shaped the pair’s practice. Fondazione MAST says the project was conceived by Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur in Cologne in cooperation with the Bernd & Hilla Becher Studio, and that the Bologna presentation was developed as a new exhibition project in collaboration between the two institutions. In the MAST.Foyer, the exhibition is paired with a display devoted to photographers of the Düsseldorf School, featuring works by Andreas Gursky, Thomas Struth, Thomas Ruff and Tata Ronkholz from the MAST Collection.
The institution’s own interpretation frames the Bechers’ industrial subjects as enduring visual forms. The newsletter notes that Bernd and Hilla Becher regarded 19th-century industrial structures as monuments, even when they had become abandoned spaces. It also recalls that Bernd Becher had once considered becoming an editorial illustrator and had an early interest in printmaking and collage, a detail the foundation highlights as part of its educational outreach around the show.
Alongside the exhibition, Fondazione MAST is offering free guided tours throughout August by reservation. The tours are designed to accompany visitors through the display and introduce the thematic richness and methodological complexity of the Bechers’ work. The foundation is also running free activities for schools and summer camps, including guided visits, workshops and hands-on sessions for children and young people, all by booking.
Families have a dedicated Sunday program called Family Tour Day. The next session is scheduled for Sunday 9 August 2026 and begins with a 3:45 p.m. meeting at the Gallery desk on level 1, followed by a 4 p.m. visit to the exhibition, a 4:30 p.m. educational workshop, 'Factotum: fabbriche dell’impossibile', in the MAST.Club, and a snack in the MAST.Caffetteria from 5:30 p.m. The activity is limited to 15 children aged six to 11 with a parent or accompanying adult.
The same day, MAST.Cineclub’s 'BEN’ESSERE' summer film series continues in the MAST.Auditorium with a free screening of 'Tutto in una notte' at 6 p.m. The program runs on Sundays through 16 August and is open without reservation until seats are filled, with 400 places available. The cinema series is presented under the patronage of the Borgo Panigale – Reno district.
