Another Twentieth Century: works on paper – stories, artists and movements

Line, gesture, mark, body. Towards the end of the last century, works on paper emerged from the margins and carved out a significant place for themselves in both collections and museums. Until 1 November 2026, the GAM (Turin Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art) is hosting the exhibition “Another Twentieth Century. Works on Paper from the GAM Collections”, curated by Fabio Cafagna and Elena Volpato.

A new exhibition chapter in the ‘Risonanza’ series, now in its fourth edition, with a theme devised by the GAM’s management to bring together the permanent collection and new projects. On display is a selection of works on paper comprising over 600 drawings, watercolours, engravings and paintings from the museum’s collections, offering a fresh perspective on the 20th century: from the earliest hints of the Symbolists and Secessionists to the explorations of the generation of the 1990s. This collection has grown over time thanks to the Guido and Ettore De Fornaris Foundation and the Fondazione Arte CRT, which have helped to enrich the GAM’s collections. The 20th century was a century marked by war, inexorable upheavals and new boundaries; art experienced every change, whilst paper gave every artist the opportunity to record their visions and realities.

Notebooks, exercise books, sketchbooks – paper is the lifelong companion of painters, sculptors and novelists. There are 21 sections spanning the major artistic periods of the last century, and the GAM holds significant collections of works by many of these masters. In 1970, on the occasion of the retrospective dedicated to Lucio Fontana, his wife Teresita donated 30 sheets; this was the first significant donation to public museums. Drawing restored Fontana’s freedom to create without being constrained by market demands; every sheet is a perfect work of art. Giorgio Morandi is represented by a number of etchings from the 1920s, including landscapes and drawings of bottles. One section is inevitably dedicated to the poetry of Filippo de Pisis: these are faces of young people and seascapes which, through the artist’s brushstrokes, become even more vulnerable. The exhibition also looks back in time, opening with Leonardo Bistolfi, Medardo Rosso and the major European movements that emerged towards the end of the nineteenth century. Pierre Bonnard’s Post-Impressionism leads into Max Beckmann’s Expressionism, Henri Rousseau’s Primitivism and Max Ernst’s Surrealism. The early Italian avant-garde is also represented, with Boccioni and, above all, Balla’s Futurism. The selection of drawings by Mario Sironi and Arturo Martini evokes a certain classical style; yet it is Fausto Melotti’s abstract explorations that recall the musical scores of his contemporary composers. Both the selection from the ‘Bibliothèque de Cobra’ and the murals by Tamayo Rufino can be interpreted as totems of our civilisation. In the 1970s, many Italian and international artists had reached prices that were prohibitive for Italian museums; for this reason, curators began to acquire their drawings. This exhibition reveals the power of thought, the determination and the rigour required to ensure that no ‘work is left unfinished’. It is a surprising concept, for every sheet and drawing on display captivates the visitor.

Paper is every artist’s workshop; in drawing lie the origins of invention and the conclusion of the work, the stages of development and expansion, study and variation. For this reason, Pop Art could not be omitted, represented here by a significant triptych by Robert Rauschenberg – restored for the occasion – and by works from icons of the movement such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, leading on to the Italian interpretations of Mario Schifano and Piero Gilardi. Italian drawing seeks new connections between painting, sculpture and the environmental space with artists such as Mario Merz; on display, one of his smaller sheets is affixed to another with pieces of clay on which the artist has left his handprints; the work forms part of the 1982 series ‘Objet cache-toi’; the grand finale features variations by Salvo, Ketty La Rocca, Giulio Paolini and Liliana Moro, alongside other contemporary artists. Pesce Khete was invited to present his works within the exhibition spaces through a unique dialogue involving Alberto Savinio, Luigi Spazzapan and Lucio Fontana.

Another Twentieth Century. Works on Paper from the Collections of the GAM, GAM – Turin’s Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, until 1 November 2026