Mostre d’architettura dall’Unificazione al postmoderno, tra società civile e politica

The essay explores the role and significance of architectural exhibitions in Italy from the proclamation of the Kingdom in 1861 to the emergence of Postmodernism in the 1980s, showing how these events progressively contributed to shaping a national, political, and cultural identity. Through an in-depth analysis of emblematic exhibitions – from the 1861 Florentine Exhibition to the 1911 Turin Exposition, from Futurist to Fascist-era shows, through postwar reconstruction and radical experimentation in the 1960s and 1970s – the essay traces the evolution of architecture as a field marked by ideological, aesthetic, and social tensions. The narrative culminates with the 1980 Venice Architecture Biennale, a landmark moment signalling a shift towards historical reappropriation and stylistic plurality. Exhibitions thus emerge as privileged tools for understanding Italy’s cultural transformations, reflecting and shaping an increasingly plural and self-aware architectural discourse.