"Italy is Made Here. The Image of the Hero from Bistolfi to Baroni": initiatives for the conclusion of the exhibition

Sunday, June 28, 2026, will be the last day to visit the exhibition "Here Italy is Made. The Image of the Hero from Bistolfi to Baroni," which opened to the public on March 28 in the Salone Vitoli of the Bistolfi Civic Museum and Plaster Cast Gallery. For the exhibition's final weekend, the Civic Museum is preparing to welcome the public with a program of special events designed to accompany its conclusion. On Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 9:00 pm, the "Concert for the City" will be held, promoted by the Casale Monferrato Rotary Club, currently chaired by Lillo D'Ambrosio, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. The evening will feature a performance by the Vivaldi Flute Consort, an instrumental ensemble composed of flute students from the Antonio Vivaldi Conservatory of Alessandria, coordinated by Maestro Stefano Parrino. Admission to the concert is free, subject to availability. The final guided tours, led by museum staff, will be held on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 4:00 PM. They have included a comprehensive program of in-depth studies throughout the exhibition. This final tour will also offer an opportunity to delve deeper into the depiction of the hero in painting and sculpture, also understood as a symbol or emblematic figure, from the early years of unified Italy until the post-World War I period. Admission to the exhibition is €8.00 (full price), €5.00 (reduced price for over-65s and students), free for Museum Pass holders, and includes a €4.00 supplement for the guided tour. Reservations are not required. "Italy is Made Here. The Image of the Hero from Bistolfi to Baroni" is a title that recalls the famous expression attributed to Giuseppe Garibaldi, a symbolic figure of the Risorgimento, and also represents a tribute to the role played by Casale Monferrato in the events that led to the unification of Italy. The exhibition begins with the important artistic legacy "Martelli-Bistolfi 2021/2023" and explores the development of the representation of the hero, understood also as a symbol or emblematic figure, from the early years of unified Italy until the post-World War I period. During this period, a more rhetorical style, linked to classical references, would gradually emerge, of which the sculptor Eugenio Baroni, who trained in Genoa, was among the first and most authoritative interpreters. The works on display also highlight the influence of Bistolfi's work on contemporary artists: the upheavals brought about by modernity and, above all, the effects of the First World War profoundly changed public perceptions, which identified new heroic figures, often linked to the sacrifice of the fallen. From this fracture emerged new stylistic and interpretative paths, including that represented by Baroni's work. Alongside works by Bistolfi and Baroni, the exhibition presents a dialogue between sculptures and paintings by artists such as Gaetano Previati, Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, Plinio Nomellini, Libero Andreotti, and Eliseo Sala. A rich selection of works by Bistolfi from the "Martelli-Bistolfi 2021/2023" donation, some previously unseen and restored for the occasion, will be presented to the public: from drawings to bas-reliefs to plaster sculptures. The materials support the theme identified by the exhibition's Scientific Committee, composed of scholars Sandra Berresford, Leo Lecci, and Aurora Scotti, and are enriched by loans from museums, public institutions, and private collectors. Preliminary assessments of the exhibition, which enjoys the patronage of the Piedmont Region, the Province of Alessandria, and ATL Alexala, and was made possible with the contribution of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria, as well as the support of Bcube, Buzzi Unicem, Energica, Magnoberta, Pastorfrigor, Enosis Meraviglia, and Gruppo Stat, highlight the positive impact of this cultural initiative, which has also become a tool for promoting the region: visitors from Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria, and European tourists have chosen to visit the temporary exhibition, while also discovering the richness of the permanent collections housed in the rooms of the former convent of Santa Croce. The exhibition will be open during the Civic Museum's regular opening hours: Thursdays from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm; Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm and from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased directly at the Museum: (full price €8.00, reduced €5.00 - reserved for students up to 24 years old, over 65s, affiliated associations, groups of 10 or more -; free - reserved for children in compulsory education, persons with disabilities and their companions, journalists, and Museum Pass holders). The last copies of the catalog published by the De Ferrari ETS Foundation are still available at the Museum ticket office at the special price of €25.00. This 175-page, full-color volume features in-depth essays by the curators, introductions by the Mayor of Casale Monferrato and the President of the Casale Monferrato Rotary Club, and reproductions of the exhibited works with extensive illustrations. For further information, please visit the dedicated page https://comune.casale-monferrato.al.it/quisifalitalia-mostra/ or contact the Museum at +39 0142 444309 or +39 0142 444249 or email museo@comune.casale-monferrato.al.it.