Scheggi / Agnetti al MA*GA

Two Masters, One Summer at MA*GA

From May 23 to October 11, 2026, the MA*GA Museum in Gallarate, in the province of Varese, hosts two twin exhibitions dedicated to two central figures of Italian art in the second half of the 20th century. It is one of the most important exhibition events of the year for the Alto Milanese area, capable of attracting an audience to Gallarate that extends far beyond regional borders.

“Qui e altrove. Gli ambienti di Paolo Scheggi 1964-1971” (Here and Elsewhere. The Environments of Paolo Scheggi 1964-1971)

The first exhibition, curated by Ilaria Bignotti and Emma Zanella, brings together about sixty works, including photographs, documents, models, and installations. The exhibition retraces the research of Paolo Scheggi (1940-1971), who made physical, walkable space the core of his work, merging art, architecture, and environment. On display are works such as “Tomba della geometria” (Tomb of Geometry), “Piramide. Della metafisica” (Pyramid. Of Metaphysics), the “Intersuperfici” (Intersurfaces), the “Intercamera plastica” (Plastic Interchamber), and the “Struttura modulare” (Modular Structure) from 1967, up to the artist's premature death at just thirty-one years old.

“Le strade terminano prima di cominciare. Vincenzo Agnetti e le tracce fotografiche” (Roads End Before They Begin. Vincenzo Agnetti and Photographic Traces)

The second exhibition, curated by Alessandro Castiglioni, brings together about thirty works that investigate the relationship between conceptual photography, language, and technology in the work of Vincenzo Agnetti. Among the works exhibited are “Elisabetta d'Inghilterra” (Elizabeth of England) (1976) and the famous “Libro dimenticato a memoria” (Book Forgotten by Heart).

A Dialogue: “Il Trono” (The Throne)

The two paths do not run parallel but meet. The shared installation “Il Trono” (1970) acts as a hinge, an artwork created jointly by Agnetti and Scheggi, which becomes the point of contact between their two bodies of research and tells of the intensity of the intellectual dialogue that bound the two artists in Milan during those years.

MA*GA

The MA*GA Museum, at Via Egidio de Magri 1, is one of Lombardy's most important institutions for modern and contemporary art, also housing the historic Premio Nazionale Arti Visive Città di Gallarate (National Visual Arts Award City of Gallarate). The double exhibition Scheggi-Agnetti confirms the museum's commitment to bringing great figures of Italian research back into focus.