On the centenary of the birth of Paolo Di Paolo (1925–2023), Palazzo Ducale in Genoa, in collaboration with Marsilio Arte, presents a retrospective dedicated to one of the great masters of Italian photography of the 20th century. The exhibition PAOLO DI PAOLO. Rediscovered Photographs, curated by Giovanna Calvenzi and Silvia Di Paolo, from October 23, 2025, to April 6, 2026, brings back to the public the forgotten work of an author who was able to delicately and profoundly depict Italy during the post-war rebirth.

Over 300 photographs – including many unpublished ones and for the first time also in color, along with archival materials, vintage magazines, and original documents – make up a journey that spans Di Paolo's entire artistic career, from his beginnings in 1953 to his intense work with the most important publications of the time.

The exhibition also includes a special and unpublished focus on Genoa and Liguria, territories often portrayed by the elegant and poetic gaze of the photographer who, in 1969, struck by a deep personal and professional crisis, dramatically withdrew from the scene. Di Paolo was the most beloved photographer by Mario Pannunzio, the historic director of the weekly magazine Il Mondo, where he published 573 photographs over 14 years, and a frequent contributor to the weekly magazine Tempo. Through his reportages, he narrated Italy and the world, documenting social changes, common faces, and celebrities: from Pier Paolo Pasolini to Anna Magnani, from Lucio Fontana to Giorgio de Chirico, from Sophia Loren to Marcello Mastroianni.

His style, characterized by a participatory yet non-invasive gaze, managed to capture the soul of the country at a crucial moment in its history. After his retirement, the entire archive – over 200,000 negatives – remained forgotten for fifty years, until his daughter Silvia rediscovered it and returned it to the history of Italian photography.