Duomo d’Autore. Contemporary photographs of Milan Cathedral
25th February – 24th May 2026
Milan Duomo Museum
(Piazza del Duomo, 12)
Sala Gian Galeazzo
16 photographs donated to the Veneranda Fabbrica by masters of contemporary photography
Duomo d’Autore. Contemporary photographs of Milan Cathedral: a unique photographic exhibition comprising 16 pictures, realized between the late 1950s and 2025, open to the public from February 25 to May 24, 2026, in Sala Gian Galeazzo of Milan Duomo Museum.
The soul of Milan’s symbol captured through the lenses
of leading contemporary photographers
The exhibition, curated by the Culture and Conservation Department of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano and included in Milano MuseoCity 2026, reveals unique perspectives and stories about Milanese Cathedral explored by photographers through a plurality of interpretations and perspectives.: reassuring and unpredictable, recognizable or concealed, it never ceases to engage and amaze its observers across every era.
The artists and their works
A fundamental basis for the initiative was a significant group of donations that has recently enhanced the collections of the Veneranda Fabbrica, grateful for the generosity shown by the artists, thus seizes the opportunity to showcase their photographs, selected personally by the artists themselves or by the Archives and Foundations that preserve their legacy.
- Architecture and detail: from the geometric perspectives of the façade by Gabriele Basilico to the close-up studies of the spires by Marco Anelli, culminating in the “veiled” Madonnina captured by Carlo Orsi.
- Sacredness: narrative beyond the visible by Giovanni Gastel, which draws inspiration for deep and contemplative reflection from the majesty of the Cathedral.
- Fashion and costume: the iconic shot by Gian Paolo Barbieri taken for Gianfranco Ferré, where the Duomo becomes a theatrical and sophisticated backdrop.
- Reportage and the city: the sensibilities of Gianni Berengo Gardin, Ugo Mulas and Cesare Colombo, capable of capturing the symbiotic bond between the Milanese and their Cathedral.
- New visions: the exhibition arrives in the present day with the work of Giovanna Silva, testifying to how the Duomo remains a vital and inspiring subject for emerging generations of artists.
The exhibition is completed by Luca Capuano‘s detailed investigation, Mario Carrieri‘s immediate narrative, Marco Introini‘s rigorous account, Giovanni Hänninen‘s dynamism, Giorgio Lotti‘s enchanted atmosphere, and Carlo Mari‘s suspended atmosphere.
To provide deeper insight into each photographer’s poetics, the exhibition is enriched with reference volumes that document their careers and artistic production.
