Giorgio Morandi: SOLO

From June 17, 2026, the Museum of Art Pudong will present “Giorgio Morandi: SOLO” in collaboration with the Museo Morandi in Bologna, Italy, inviting audiences into the intimate world of “soliloquy” shaped by Morandi’s lifelong acts of looking, contemplation, and creation.

The works in the exhibition come from 39 institutions and private collectors around the world. Among them, more than 120 works will be shown in China for the first time. These original works include Morandi’s only seascape, one of only seven self-portraits he created in his lifetime, a portrait of his sister that has never before been publicly shown in any exhibition, and a work from his Metaphysical period — Morandi created only 12 Metaphysical paintings throughout his life, and this is one of them. His wartime series of shell paintings, as well as rare watercolors, will also be featured in the exhibition. These subjects are exceptionally rare within Morandi’s oeuvre and provide key clues for understanding his practice during this particular historical period.

The exhibition will also present the star-wheel etching press personally used by Morandi. The press is currently held by the descendants of Francesco Bagnarese, Morandi’s friend and former schoolmate. This exhibition marks the first time since 1993 that the press has left Bologna and been publicly displayed elsewhere.

Through 57 precious photographs of Morandi’s studio, the exhibition will bring audiences into the private spaces of his real life and artistic practice: his studio on Via Fondazza in Bologna, his mountain residence in Grizzana, and more. For Morandi, the daily life of the studio was the starting point from which he understood and reconstructed the world.

The exhibition also includes original objects from Morandi’s studio — the vases, artificial flowers, tin cans, and other items that appeared on his canvases, all of which were part of Morandi’s personal collection and were truly used and studied by him in the process of creation. By placing these objects alongside paintings of the same subjects, the exhibition allows viewers to see “real objects” and “painted objects” within the same space, offering a clearer sense of Morandi’s unique interpretation of objects, light, and time.

In addition, the exhibition will present Morandi’s books and original archival materials, including precious handwritten letters. These materials reveal a more multidimensional portrait of Morandi: although he chose a reclusive way of life, he remained deeply engaged with art history, literature, and even Eastern art.

For this reason, Morandi belongs not only to the history of 20th-century Italian art, but also to a spiritual lineage to which contemporary art continually returns. The minimal forms, muted tones, and subtle relationships between objects and space in his work continue to feel strongly contemporary today. The exhibition will also feature two video installations by renowned contemporary artist Tacita Dean, reflecting the enduring reach of Morandi’s influence into the present.