Exhibition "Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and the Futurist Avant-garde in Trieste"

Description

Documentary exhibition curated by Alessandra Sirugo, running from November 20, 2026, to February 1, 2027.
Opening: Thursday, November 19, at 5:30 PM.

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti was a writer determined to shake up minds and spirits that failed to grasp the changing times. Organized into thematic sections, the exhibition guides visitors from Marinetti’s literary and Symbolist roots to the birth of Futurism; from his experimentation with "words in freedom" (*parole in libertà*) to the creation of manifestos; and from the movement’s political dimension to its artistic expressions in Trieste and the avant-garde developments that emerged in the Venezia Giulia region. One section is dedicated to the manifestos and their role in disseminating Futurist ideas, while another explores "Marinetti the politician," documenting his ideological trajectory through publications, photographs, and evidence of the relationship between Futurism, nationalism, and the political landscape of the early 20th century. His time in Trieste—then still a port of the Habsburg Empire—is recounted through his various engagements in 1908: at the Philharmonic-Dramatic Society, at the funeral of Oberdan’s mother, and at the Trieste Gymnastics Society, a hub for the Julian irredentist movement. Significant space is also devoted to Futurism in the arts in Trieste, featuring photographs and archival materials that highlight Marinetti’s visits to the city, the initiatives of Bruno G. Sanzin, the work of "aero-dancer" Giannina Censi, publications by Carlo Cergoly and Vladimiro Miletti, and various artistic and theatrical experiments linked to the movement. At the same time, the scope extends to avant-garde movements in the Venezia Giulia region, through the figures of Giorgio Carmelich, Emilio Dolfi, Sofronio Pocarini, Augusto Černigoj, and Srečko Kosovel.
Free admission.
Guided tours by the curator will be held at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, December 2, and Tuesday, December 15, 2026, as well as Wednesday, January 13, and Tuesday, January 26, 2027 (by reservation: alessandra.sirugo@comune.trieste.it).

Organized by:

Comune di Trieste