The exhibition on the artistic output of Michelangelo Pistoletto offers an exhaustive analysis of the Italian artist's creative universe, allowing the viewer to engage with the themes that have shaped his work over more than eight decades. This approach allows us to explore his pieces within a broader context. Examples include "Oggetti in meno" (Minus Objects) (1965–1966), in which he addresses three-dimensionality and the object in a way that complements his mirror works; the "Arte Povera" movement’s seminal piece, "Venere degli stracci" (Venus of the Rags) (1967); and the installation "Labirinto" (Labyrinth) (1968), where the public participates by tracing the path of this impossible route.
"The Quadri specchianti" (Mirror Paintings) —which the artist began creating in the early 1960s— are works made of polished stainless steel that interact with the exhibition space by reflecting it; simultaneously, they allow the viewer to recreate the artwork in real time through their own reflection. Pistoletto thus proposes an open perspective that inverts the Renaissance perspective—a concept already superseded by 20th-century avant-garde movements. In 1964, as part of his "Plexiglas" exhibition at the Gian Enzo Sperone gallery in Turin, Pistoletto wrote: "…Paintings are always hung on walls, but mirrors are also placed on those same walls. I believe that the first truly figurative experience a human being has is recognizing themselves in their own reflected image in the mirror—which is the fiction most faithful to reality."
At MUSAC, visitors will be able to see works such as "Architettura dello specchio" (1990) and series like "Division and Multiplication of the Mirror" or "Colour and Light", offering the chance to experience a journey through time within a single 700-square-meter space.
The exhibition traces the full trajectory of Pistoletto’s career, ranging from early works driven by an interest in self-portraiture—such as "Autoritratto argento" (1960) and documentation of his first public performances—to pieces like the sculpture "Terzo Paradiso" (2014). Suspended from the museum ceiling, this sculpture is part of the project for which the artist penned his "Terzo Paradiso" manifesto in 2003. For the artist, it represents "…a balanced connection between artifice and nature, and the generative matrix of a new humanity."
The exhibition concludes with his most recent digital works, such as "Mirror of Eternity" (2025), a participatory piece that employs artificial intelligence to generate a portrait of the visitor.
By the end of the visit, the viewer will have engaged with themes such as perception, time, identity, the relationship between artwork, artist, and viewer, and the capacity of art to bring about cultural and social change.
