Nanni Valentini – Volto e Luogo

Nanni Valentini, poet of matter

MUSMA – Museum of Contemporary Sculpture in Matera, housed in the 16th-century Palazzo Pomarici in Sasso Caveoso, dedicates a temporary exhibition to Nanni Valentini (Sant'Angelo in Vado, 1932 – Vimercate, 1985), one of the protagonists of European sculpture in the second half of the 20th century. Trained as a ceramicist, sculptor, painter, and engraver, Valentini made matter the focus of his poetic research.

"Volto e Luogo": earthy heads and the idea of home

The exhibition "Volto e Luogo" brings together earthy heads and sculpted faces by the artist. The theme of home, along with that of the hearth, represents the highest point of Valentini's reflection on the idea of place: matter evokes deep memories, and the face becomes an element of collective identity. The works enter into dialogue with "Il Focolare", a work from the museum's permanent collection, and with the local tuff stone, creating a sensory experience that relates historical matter and contemporary experimentation.

MUSMA's 20th Anniversary

The exhibition takes place in the year MUSMA celebrates its 20th anniversary, coinciding with Matera's title of Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue 2026. The museum interprets the anniversary through the metaphor of wind as transformation, regeneration, and rebirth, with a rich program that includes the "Cambiamento" project for the reactivation of the permanent collection, artist residencies, and new acquisitions.

A unique museum in the Sassi

MUSMA is the most important Italian museum entirely dedicated to contemporary sculpture and is also a "cave" museum: part of the exhibition route develops in the hypogea carved into the rock, in a continuous dialogue between artwork and the landscape of the Sassi. The event is supported by the Municipality of Matera and local cultural institutions.