Mart presents the exhibition "Sport. Challenging the Body"

The celebration of the body, from ancient Greece to Robert Mapplethorpe

From classical figures represented in sculptures, vases, plates and objects from antiquity, to modern and contemporary figures on canvases, in graphics, videos and photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries. The Mart exhibition, curated by Antonio Calbi and Daniela Ferrari, explores how the celebration of the body has evolved over the centuries, and the role of art in shaping the iconography of the athletic ideal.

From the statuesque and vigorous physiques of Robert Mapplethorpe to the dynamic and abstract bodies of Umberto Boccioni. From the bodies in motion and action that were photographed by Eadweard Muybridge to the less heroic bodies, such as Marino Marini's headless wrestler.

It also features Mimmo Jodice's famous photographs celebrating antiquity, taken at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples in the early 1990s, and Fabrizio Ferri's contemporary shots of the US Olympic Team athletes in the surreal scenery of the Mojave Desert in California.

IMAGE BELOW: Mimmo Jodice Atleti, Villa dei Papiri di Ercolano, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Napoli, Italia (dalla serie Mediterraneo), 1990-1995

From individual to team sports

The exhibition 'Sport. Challenging the Body' at the Mart in Rovereto, focuses on team sports. Works by artists such as Massimo Campigli, Renato Guttuso, Annette Lemieux and Maurizio Cattelan are displayed alongside photographs documenting Pier Paolo Pasolini's passion for football.

Sports such as diving, swimming and dancing are also represented, where the gesture becomes art. Other sports, such as motor racing and cycling, are celebrated in works by Tullio Crali, Mimmo Rotella, Fortunato Depero, Mario Sironi, Ugo Nespolo and Titina Maselli.

Finally, a section is dedicated to winter sports, exploring their relationship with tourism and the promotion of Alpine regions.

IMAGE BELOW: Maurizio Cattelan A.C. Forniture Sud, 1990-1991 Mart, Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto AGIVERONA Collection

The 'Combinazioni' Project and the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

The exhibition 'Sport. Challenging the body' forms part of the 'Combinazioni' (Combinations) project, which brings together Trentino's museums and cultural institutions around the same theme each year, offering different perspectives on a single subject. 

For 2025–2026, the theme is 'Combinations_Sports Characters', in celebration of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. This year, the project is taking part in the Milano Cortina 2026 Cultural Olympiad, a huge programme of artistic and cultural events that promote the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games through culture, Italian heritage and sport. 

IMAGE GALLERY (from top left):
Carlo Carrà Atleti in riposo (Pugilatori), 1933-1936 Mart, Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto Courtesy Studio d’Arte Nicoletta Colombo, Milano
Tullio Crali Le forze della curva, 1930 Mart, Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto Deposito a lungo termine
Antonio Canova Damosseno, 1794-1806 Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova, Possagno (TV), inv. 55 Crediti fotografici: Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova, Possagno (TV), Ph. Lino Zanesco
Fortunato Depero Sci e Dolomiti, 1952 Mart, Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto Fondo Depero
Mimmo Jodice Atleti, Villa dei Papiri di Ercolano, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Napoli, Italia (dalla serie Mediterraneo), 1990-1995
Maurizio Cattelan A.C. Forniture Sud, 1990-1991 Mart, Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto AGIVERONA Collection