The city of Bagheria is preparing to welcome Italian and European scholars for an international study day entitled “Guttusian Dialogues” an event dedicated to reflection and in-depth analysis of Renato Guttuso’s legacy and relevance in art and contemporary art history. The event, promoted by the University of Palermo and co-organized by the Municipality of Bagheria, will be held on October 23 and 24, 2025, and will be divided into four moments and three symbolic locations linked to the memory of the Master from Bagheria.
The initiative stems from the desire to return to a critical and interdisciplinary reflection on Guttuso, a central figure in 20th-century Italian and European art, also in light of the most recent developments in scientific research and artistic production. The presentations will offer new insights into his work and figure, in dialogue with the arts, politics, literature, and thought of his time and ours. The study day is sponsored by the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Palermo, the Empedocle Restivo Gallery of Modern Art in Palermo, Unipa Heritage – University Museum System, the Guttuso Museum in Villa Cattolica in the city of Bagheria, the Department of Humanities of the University of Palermo, and the Guttuso Archives in Rome.
The program includes events starting on October 23 in Palermo: The first session, “Incroci e Tangenze” (Crossroads and Tangents), will be held at 3:15 p.m. at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (GAM) and will focus on Guttuso’s artistic and cultural relationships, with presentations on Guttuso, Pasolini, and Rosselli, his friendship with Giorgio de Chirico, and his dialogues with the work of Picasso (Guernica) and Vedova. The institutional greetings will be given by Pietro Cannella, deputy mayor and councilor for culture of the Municipality of Palermo, Francesca Martinez Tagliavia, director of the GAM, Michele Gruttadauria, president of UniPA Heritage – University Museum System, Concetta Gilberto, director of the Department of Humanities at UniPa, and Marco Carapezza of the University of Palermo and the Guttuso Archives. This will be followed by speeches by Alessandro Del Puppo of the University of Udine, Lorenzo Canova of the University of Molise, Maddalena De Luca of the Regional Gallery of Sicily Palazzo Abatellis, and Diego Mantoan of the University of Palermo.
In the evening, at 6:15 p.m., the event will move to Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri for the “Conversation in front of the Vucciria,” a masterpiece by the Bagheria master preserved in the university collections, with a discussion open to all participants in the study day led by Marco Carapezza.
On October 24, the event will move to Bagheria, in the setting of the Guttuso Museum in Villa Cattolica, which houses, among other things, the work Fichidindia (1959), chosen for the event brochure.
At 9:30 a.m., after institutional greetings from Mayor Filippo Maria Tripoli and Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Culture Daniele Vella, Dora Favatella Lo Cascio, former director of the Guttuso Museum, and Roberto Magnisi, director of the Duca Di Salaparuta Corvo and Florio wineries, the session “Texts and Contexts” will begin. This part will explore new perspectives on Guttuso studies, focusing on the cultural policy of the Italian Communist Party in the post-war period and Guttuso’s impact in the German Democratic Republic. Speakers will include Juan José Gómez Gutiérrez from the University of Seville and Alexander Auf der Heyde from the University of Palermo, Chiara Perin from the Scuola Normale in Pisa, and Professor Franco Lo Piparo will coordinate.
At 11:45 a.m., the session “Dialogues and People” will reflect on Guttuso’s relationship with his contemporaries, including insights into the fairy-tale elements in Guttuso’s work and collecting. Speakers will include Cristina Costanzo from the University of Palermo, Paola Niciata from the Academy of Fine Arts in Palermo, and Serena Contini from the Civic Museums of the Municipality of Varese. The session will be coordinated by Alessandro Del Puppo.
The days will end with a visit to the Guttuso Museum at 1:15 p.m.
The Organizing Committee includes Marco Carapezza, Diego Mantoan, and Annalena Schlüchter (University of Palermo).

The mayor of Bagheria, Filippo Maria Tripoli, and the councilor for culture and deputy mayor, Daniele Vella, expressed their great satisfaction with the initiative: “Bringing the attention of an international audience of scholars to Villa Cattolica, the place that preserves the corpus of our Guttusian memory, is a source of deep pride for Bagheria. Guttuso is not just an artist of the past; his ‘Dialogues’ with politics, literature, and major social issues, as highlighted by these study days, make him a fundamental author for understanding our times. This event reinforces Bagheria’s role as a lively cultural center and an active part of research into modern and contemporary art.”

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