CAGLIARI.- This winter, the Palazzo di Città in Cagliari opens its doors to one of the most intense and emotionally charged figures of 20th-century Italian art: Antonio Ligabue. Beginning on 28 November, the historic venue hosts Antonio Ligabue. La grande mostra, the first major exhibition in Sardinia devoted to an artist whose life and work continue to captivate audiences decades after his death.
The exhibition brings together 60 works, including oils and drawings, offering a sweeping journey through Ligabue’s turbulent life and visionary creativity. Thanks to a collaboration with Arthemisia, visitors will have the rare chance to explore Ligabue’s most emblematic themes—wild animals, rural scenes, carriages, and his unforgettable self-portraits—presented with a clarity and emotional depth that reveal the artist’s ferocious search for identity and belonging.
Often called the “Italian Van Gogh,” Ligabue remains a profoundly human figure—fragile, fierce, misunderstood, and driven by an urgent need to transform his suffering into art. Born in Zurich in 1899, expelled from Switzerland as a troubled young man, and later ostracized in Gualtieri, he lived much of his life on the margins. Yet, through painting, he forged a language so raw and visionary that it defied every artistic trend of his era.
Ligabue didn’t simply paint animals—he became them. Tigers poised to strike, eagles frozen mid-flight, leopards roaring in forests of vibrating color: his canvases radiate primal energy. These creatures, painted with bold lines and feverish brushstrokes, mirrored his own inner battles. Alongside them, tender depictions of farm horses, oxen, and loyal dogs evoke a gentler longing—one for connection, affection, and a place in the world.
The exhibition unfolds chronologically, following the three creative periods defined by critic Sergio Negri. Early works reveal a shy, almost naïve handling of color; later pieces demonstrate an increasingly confident, expressive, and emotionally charged style. Masterpieces such as Circo all’aperto (1955–1956), Leopardo nella foresta (1956–1957), Aratura (1944–1945), and Autoritratto con berretto da fantino (1962) guide visitors through Ligabue’s evolving vision and technique.
His self-portraits, painted in dozens of variations, remain the most haunting part of his legacy. With wide eyes, tight lips, and a gaze that seems to pierce the viewer, these works expose the battle between fragility and defiance that shaped his existence. In each brushstroke, Ligabue confronts himself—and invites us to witness the struggle.
Over the years, Ligabue’s reputation has shifted dramatically. Long dismissed as a naïve outsider, he is now recognized as a profoundly original artist whose emotional honesty and instinctive creativity anticipate modern expressive trends. Today, his works speak to contemporary audiences with renewed urgency.
Antonio Ligabue. La grande mostra is more than a retrospective—it is an immersive encounter with the inner world of an artist who painted not to please, but to survive. In Cagliari, every canvas becomes a window into a life lived at the extremes, where pain and beauty collide in unforgettable images.
Organized by the Municipality of Cagliari with the support of the Region of Sardinia and Fondazione di Sardegna and curated by Francesco Negri and Francesca Villanti, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to rediscover a singular voice in Italian art—one that still roars today.
