On the occasion of the exhibition hosted by Palazzo Reale, Pinacoteca di Brera, Palazzo Citterio, Museo del Novecento, Palazzo Morando | Costume Moda Immagine, Museo Poldi Pezzoli and Fondazione Marconi are all participating in the project that traces the history of the relationship between Ugo Mulas and Milan

On 10 October 2024, Palazzo Reale inaugurated the major exhibition Ugo Mulas. The process of photography, but the celebration of the work of the unforgettable photographer goes beyond the confines of the Milanese institution and finds space in other cultural venues as part of the Ugo Mulas in città project. Pinacoteca di Brera, Palazzo Citterio, Museo del Novecento, Palazzo Morando | Costume Moda Immagine, Museo Poldi Pezzoli and Fondazione Marconi welcome some of Mulas’ works connected to their own history, thus broadening the reflection on the bond between the author and Milan.
The city was a constant presence in Mulas’ work and influenced his practice: it’s no coincidence that in 1963 the photographer created Joan Miró’s portrait next to the portrait of a lady by Pollaiolo, exhibited in a room of the Museo Poldi Pezzoli ‒ “the work is not a mere snapshot, but makes the photographer’s work contemporary and relevant”, as the museum director Alessandra Quarto says. Mulas also portrayed artists whose works are now hosted by Museo del Novecento ‒ “an acknowledgment of a great photographer through what is both a multi-venue exhibition and, at the same time, a testament and a felicitous counterpoint to the work of leading exponents of art in Milan with whom Mulas himself shared experiences: Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Fausto Melotti, the evolution of Nouveau Réalisme…”, states Gianfranco Maraniello, director of the City of Milan’s Musei d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea. The human and emotional relationships that Mulas established with people and places also emerge clearly from his photos. In fact, Angelo Crespi, general director of the Pinacoteca di Brera and Palazzo Citterio, recalls that Mulas’ “remarkable career” began “near the Brera when the Bar Jamaica was a meeting place for artists and intellectuals”. The friendship that united Mulas and Giorgio Marconi is also well known: “Ugo Mulas used to frequent the Studio Marconi in order to record and take photos of exhibitions, artists, and artworks by Louise Nevelson, Man Ray, Valerio Adami and Enrico Baj. He was a close friend of my father, Giorgio”, recalls Gió Marconi, director of Fondazione Marconi.
The result of this intellectual itinerary is a multi-venue project that unfolds across the city, reflecting the many nuances of Mulas’ gaze on Milan.
The entrance ticket to the Ugo Mulas. The process of photography exhibition at Palazzo Reale gives reduced-price admission to Pinacoteca di Brera, Palazzo Citterio, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, and vice versa, as well as to the Miracoli a Milano. Carlo Orsi fotografo exhibition at Palazzo Morando | Costume Moda Immagine. Fondazione Marconi and Museum of Palazzo Morando offer free admission. With a ticket to Museo del Novecento, visitors may gain admission to the Ugo Mulas exhibition at a reduced price.

INFO
Ugo Mulas. The process of photography
until 2 February 2025
PALAZZO REALE
Piazza del Duomo 12, Milan
https://www.palazzorealemilano.it/

Cover photo:

Ugo Mulas, Joan Miró, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milano, 1963 © Eredi Ugo Mulas. All rights reserved. Courtesy Archivio Ugo Mulas, Milano – Galleria Lia Rumma, Milano / Napoli

Image captions:

Ugo Mulas, Russia, 1960 © Eredi Ugo Mulas. All rights reserved. Courtesy Archivio Ugo Mulas, Milano – Galleria Lia Rumma, Milano / Napoli
(Pinacoteca di Brera)

Ugo Mulas, Christo, Nouveau Réalisme, Milano, 1970 © Eredi Ugo Mulas. All rights reserved. Courtesy Archivio Ugo Mulas, Milano – Galleria Lia Rumma, Milano / Napoli
(Museo del Novecento)

Ugo Mulas, Milano, 1953-1954 © Eredi Ugo Mulas. All rights reserved. Courtesy Archivio Ugo Mulas, Milano – Galleria Lia Rumma, Milano / Napoli
(Palazzo Morando| Costume Moda Immagine)

Ugo Mulas, Joan Miró, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milano, 1963 © Eredi Ugo Mulas. All rights reserved. Courtesy Archivio Ugo Mulas, Milano – Galleria Lia Rumma, Milano / Napoli
(Museo Poldi Pezzoli)

Ugo Mulas, Louise Nevelson, New York, 1965 © Eredi Ugo Mulas. All rights reserved. Courtesy Archivio Ugo Mulas, Milano – Galleria Lia Rumma, Milano / Napoli
(Fondazione Marconi)