"I venture into the world to breathe its dubious reputation
and its humor, to see more clearly, to seek purpose and knowledge,
to open myself up, to grasp exuberantly and relentlessly the light."

Rodney Smith

For the first time in Italy, a major monographic exhibition celebrating the work of acclaimed New York photographer Rodney Smith (1947-2016) is coming to Palazzo Roverella.
The extensive retrospective, showcasing over a hundred evocative works by Smith, is promoted by the Cassa di Risparmio Foundation of Padua and Rovigo, in collaboration with the Municipality of Rovigo, the Accademia dei Concordi and diChroma photography, with the support of Intesa Sanpaolo, and produced by Silvana Editoriale. The exhibition curated by Anne Morin will be open for visits from October 4th to February 1st, 2026.

The exhibition introduces the Italian public to a major figure in photography, known for his unmistakable aesthetic: a refined blend of classic elegance, rigorous composition, and elegant and surreal irony, drawing comparisons to the works of the painter René Magritte. Long acclaimed for his iconic black and white images that combine portrait and landscape, Rodney Smith created enchanted and visionary worlds full of subtle contradictions and surprises. Made with only film and natural light, his dreamlike images, never retouched, stand out for meticulous craftsmanship and extraordinary formal precision.