The Time of Play – Playful Wonders from the Loris Betti Collection

An exhibition dedicated to play in the village of Gradara

The MARV – Rubini Vesin Museum of Art in Gradara, in the medieval village overlooking the Malatesta Castle in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino, hosts The Time of Play – Playful Wonders from the Loris Betti Collection. The exhibition celebrates the history, value, and social impact of play through a rare and fascinating collection spanning two centuries, from the late 18th century to the 1980s.

The Loris Betti Collection

The heart of the exhibition is the collection of Loris Betti, a collector who over time developed an increasingly conscious interest in the cultural and social value of play. His passion began in childhood, from reading Corriere dei Piccoli and the paper games that accompanied him. From this spark, a collection was born that today boasts over 120 items on public display, including board games, path games, magic lanterns, and illustrated materials.

The sections of the exhibition

The exhibition is divided into thematic sections that explore play as a mirror of society:

• Educational Games, with particular attention to the pedagogical function of play and a special section dedicated to Pinocchio, in homage to the anniversary related to his author Carlo Collodi;
• Games for Girls, reflecting the values of the era surrounding the domestic sphere;
• games of travel, sport, cinema, and pre-cinema (with evocative magic lanterns), advertising, and gambling;
• illustrations and works by authors such as Crepax and Jacovitti.

An interactive experience

In addition to the exhibition part, visitors have access to an interactive area with playable reproductions of some of the games on display and digital content accessible from their smartphones. An setup designed to engage audiences of all ages, from children to adults.

MARV and playful culture

The Time of Play is the third consecutive exhibition that MARV has dedicated to play, investigated as a cultural phenomenon with a scientific approach and accompanied by the publication of specialized catalogs. The initiative consolidates the museum's role in Gradara among the few institutions in Italy and internationally continuously engaged in this research field, so much so that there is talk of the birth of a true Museum of Play in the Marche region. The exhibition is promoted by the Marche Culture Foundation.