The National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome is hosting one of the finest exhibitions to display more than seventy works by over 40 Chinese artists, who were linked in various ways to the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, along with the works of great 20th-century Italian artists from July 15 to September 14, 2025. This cross-cultural art will not only spread awareness about the culture of both countries, but will also impact the diplomatic ties of both the regions.
The exhibition East and West: International Dialogue Exhibition – From Shanghai to Rome, is curated by Gabriele Simongini and Zhang Xiaoling, further introducing a dialogue between Chinese artists from Shanghai and the museum’s historic collection. Being a dialogue of works by the major 20th-century Italian artists, from Balla and Boccioni to Modigliani, Carrà, de Chirico, Morandi, Burri, Fontana, Kounellis, and Schifano, alongside works by later, highly established artists such as Cattelan and Stingel, Beecroft, and emerging artists (Daniela De Lorenzo, Alessandro Piangiamore, Emanuele Becheri, and Davide Rivalta), this exhibition is one of the legendary events to explore the similarities or difference of cross-culture from the past.
The entire exhibition is structured into three progressive thematic sections- Reflections of Space, Time, Expansion of Thought, Generation of the Imagination— to present a variety of historical perspectives, media transformation, and contemporary perceptions, building a field of dialogue that spans culture, history, and inner experience.
The first section will trace how the Chinese and Italian artists have approached the process of modernization from the 20th century to the present, further exploring the reconstruction of cultural identity and the renewal of artistic language, and balancing the spiritual continuity of tradition with contemporary visual collisions. The second section focuses on the transformation of materials, media, and concepts through sculptures, installations, and constructive paintings. Finally, the last one gives an impression of the works which are rooted in local experience, urban memory, and individual narratives.
Featured Image: Building of Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna; Peicurto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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