Pertini. The Art of Democracy at the M9 – Museum of the 20th Century

From November 20, 2025, to August 31, 2026 , the M9 in Mestre will host an exhibition that is not just an exhibition, but an act of civic remembrance: Pertini. The Art of Democracy . For the first time in Italy, a major exhibition is dedicated to Sandro Pertini , the President who more than any other embodied the values ​​of freedom, justice, and human dignity.

A year of anniversaries, an unrepeatable occasion

The exhibition was born in a symbolic context:

• 80th anniversary of the Resistance

• 130th anniversary of Pertini's birth

• 1946 referendum that inaugurated the Republic

These dates are not simply anniversaries, but historical coordinates that convey the depth of a century Pertini navigated with consistency and passion. The exhibition thus becomes a bridge between past and present, an invitation to reflect on how the founding values ​​of democracy can still guide our time.

The exhibition itinerary

The heart of the exhibition is Pertini's private collection , now kept at the Museum of Savona : paintings, sculptures and works that the President chose as a reflection of his ethical and civil vision of art.

Alongside these works, the visitor will find:

• Archive materials and unpublished documents

• Photographs and personal letters

• Period footage Pertini 's voice and gestures

The dialogue between art and document constructs a polyphonic story : not only the portrait of a man , but the history of a country that fought for freedom and justice .

Between realism and abstraction

The artistic selection reveals Pertini's free-spirited gaze, capable of capturing the tensions of contemporary aesthetic research. Between realism and abstraction , the works reflect a way of thinking that never separates beauty and responsibility. For Pertini, art is an instrument of democracy: a universal language that restores dignity and shared memory.

A tribute that speaks to the present

This exhibition is not simply a celebratory tribute. It is an invitation to question the role of art as a critical conscience and a tool for civic participation . In a time marked by crisis and disorientation, Pertini's figure reminds us once again that democracy is never achieved once and for all: it must be cultivated, defended, and renewed.

PRESS RELEASE

From the civic collections of the Savona Museum

PERTINI. THE ART OF DEMOCRACY

November 20, 2025 - August 31, 2026

M9 - Museum of the 20th Century | Third Floor,
Venice Mestre

Entrance to the exhibition is free and unlimited for M9 card holders..

From 20 November 2025 to 31 August 2026 , M9 – Museo del '900 will host the first major exhibition ever held in Italy dedicated to Sandro Pertini , the most beloved President of our Republic.

The exhibition comes in a year of significant anniversaries : the 80th anniversary of the Resistance , the 130th anniversary of Pertini's birth , and the referendum that inaugurated the Republic . A unique opportunity to tell the story of a man who spanned the twentieth century and who embodied the values ​​of freedom , justice , and democracy .

The exhibition will begin with Pertini's extraordinary private collection , now housed at the Museum of Savona : paintings, sculptures, and works that the President chose to reflect his ethical and civic vision of art. In dialogue with these masterpieces, archival materials , photographs , letters , period films , and unpublished documents , held at the Filippo Turati Foundation for Historical Studies in Florence and various Italian institutions—including the Salce National Collection Museum in Treviso and the Sandro Pertini House Museum in Stella —will bring to life crucial moments in his life and in Italian history.

Between realism and abstraction , these works reflect Pertini's free and attentive gaze to the present, capable of capturing the tensions of artistic research. The exhibition is a tribute to the values ​​of freedom , Resistance , and human dignity , and invites reflection on the power of art as an instrument of democracy and shared memory .

ph Antonio Massariolo 

Practical information

• Location: M9 – Museum of the 20th Century, Third Floor, Venice Mestre

• Dates: November 20, 2025 – August 31, 2026

• Hours: Wed, Thu, Fri 10:00–18:00; Sat, Sun 10:00–19:00; Mon, Tue closed

• Entrance: M9 card holders

Pertini. The Art of Democracy is more than an exhibition: it is an act of cultural responsibility. It restores the voice of a President who embodied the Resistance and the Republic , and it does so through art, a living and shared memory .