From March 20 to May 3, 2026, Palazzo Merulana, home of the Elena and Claudio Cerasi Foundation and managed and enhanced by the artistic direction of Coopculture, hosts the exhibition "Francesco Vaccarone in Rome 1970-1976", an intense exhibition project dedicated to a central figure surprisingly still little known in Italian culture of the second half of the 20th century.

The exhibition, curated by Umberto Croppi and Paolo Asti, produced by the association Startè, stems from the desire to shed light on a multifaceted artist, capable of spanning over sixty years of experimentation while always maintaining a lively dialogue between formal research, civil commitment, and reflection on the role of the image in contemporary society. The exhibition is not only a tribute but also a piece that fills an important gap in the mosaic of art history of the last century.

In this perspective, Palazzo Merulana confirms itself as a place for a critical re-reading of Italian 20th-century art, particularly by offering the public the opportunity to meet Maestro Vaccarone in his relationship with Rome and with the artists with whom he engaged in critical and creative dialogue in the Capital.

In the selection of the exhibited works, also due to the meticulous research of his friend and expert, Paolo Asti, an attempt has been made to account for his journey, focusing precisely on his Roman period.

Examples of early works introduce us to his poetics: the Mitofanie, in which he reveals an ability to draw visions from materials, with an early intuition about what will happen, and an example of assemblage that testifies to his encounter with visual poetry.

Some transitional paintings (Adamo, 1971; Pescatore, 1971; Mosca cieca, 1972; Ermafrodito 1975) introduce us to his subsequent experiences, in which all his maturity is clearly evident, not unrelated to the cultural environment in which this part of his training takes place. The color becomes material, capable of giving volume that, in other creations, has been rendered through layers and thicknesses; the identification of themes is a kind of declaration of his inner universe and his feelings. The Seagulls of his Gulf and the Clochard on the city's margins are the richest aspects of meaning.

To testify to his commitment as an engraver, a rare copy of the folder In articulo amoris is exhibited, emblematic both for the technique and for the pun in the title, which attests to his inclination for semantic play and the sentiment that animates him.

Evidence of his Roman period and his acquaintances are the portraits of famous personalities that he draws with few, decisive strokes. Among these, a charcoal sketch of Alberto Moravia, made at the Cigno, the Study for Renato Guttuso, or the portrait of Enzo Carli sketched in ink on an envelope in 1973.

The works presented in this exhibition not only testify to the richness of Vaccarone's artistic journey but also invite the public to reflect on his cultural legacy. "I believe that Francesco Vaccarone's greatest lesson - concludes Asti - has been to face life looking at freedom and gratitude, rather than basing it on guilt or moral debts." Thus, his work remains current, capable of dialoguing with contemporary sensibility and offering reflections that are renewed and enriched with each visit.