Cineteca Milano, Milano
While 2025 marks the twentieth anniversary of his death, 2026 marks the centenary of the birth of Francesco Somaini, internationally renowned sculptor, artist and innovator. Cineteca Milano, in collaboration with the Francesco Somaini Foundation, is dedicating the exhibition “The New World – 100 Years of Francesco Somaini” to him and his work. The exhibition will be held in the foyer of the Cineteca Milano Arlecchino cinema from 9 September to 31 January and will be inaugurated with an event for the city on 9 September at 6 p.m. The exhibition, which consists of a photographic gallery portraying the artist at work and in particular creative moments, also marks the collaboration between Cineteca Milano and the Francesco Somaini Foundation. The exhibition will be enhanced by the work “Il nauta” (The Sailor), while the short film edited by Cineteca Milano, Il Mondo nuovo (The New World), dedicated to Somaini, will be screened in the theatre at the opening.
In presenting the event, Silvio Soldini, president of Cineteca Milano, and Matteo Pavesi, director of Cineteca Milano, write: “In 2025, the Francesco Somaini Foundation deposited footage covering several years of the work of sculptor Francesco Somaini (1926-2005) in the Cineteca Milano archive. These are powerful, extreme, earth-shattering images that tell us about the creative journey of one of Italy’s greatest artists. We are convinced that these 16mm films, in which Somaini literally puts his own life at risk, would also be of great interest to a director such as Werner Herzog, winner of the 2025 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, who has always approached the making of his films as an extreme adventure, capable of bringing his artistic language closer to the most hidden truth, in this very similar to Somaini. A lifelong researcher, Francesco Somaini has had many artistic experiences since the 1950s, creating monumental, informal works, dialoguing with the urban fabric of metropolises, placing himself in harmony with the natural environment and the territory, and confronting history and ancient myths. Concreteness and utopia characterise an absolutely unique artistic and human journey.
While 2025 marks the twentieth anniversary of his death, 2026 will celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. It is on this occasion that Cineteca Milano has organised a tribute in the foyer of the Cinema Arlecchino in collaboration with the Francesco Somaini Foundation. It is a stunning photographic gallery that tells us about the greatness of “artistic creation”, enhanced by a valuable work such as “Il nauta” and the exhibition of his work helmet.
The film archive also inspired the creation of a short montage film by Cineteca Milano entitled Il Mondo nuovo (The New World), a work that combines cinematic archetypes with the world of Somaini, which will be presented at the exhibition opening”.
Entry to the exhibition is free.
For more information: https://www.cinetecamilano.it/evento/il-nuovo-mondo-100-anni-di-francesco-somaini/