The exhibition
Among the most anticipated cultural events in Rome in 2025, the major retrospective dedicated to Franco Fontana stands out. One of the most influential figures in contemporary Italian photography, Fontana is internationally renowned for revolutionizing the language of color photography. This exceptional exhibition, hosted at the Museum of the Ara Pacis, brings together more than 200 photographs that retrace the artist’s entire career, from his early experiments to his most iconic and recent works.
Curated by Jean-Luc Monterosso, founder of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, the show offers an immersive journey into Fontana’s visual universe. Through evocative installations, videos and powerful visual staging, visitors are invited to explore the bold geometries, vibrant color contrasts and poetic abstraction that have made Franco Fontana a global icon.
The images on display range from urban landscapes and minimalist skylines to abstract compositions, architectural studies and detailed shots of cars and roads. Color plays a central role in Fontana’s work, not just as aesthetic, but as structure and substance. His art broke away from black-and-white tradition, creating a vibrant new visual language that redefined modern photography.
The exhibition begins with Fontana’s panoramic shot of Prague, famously featured on the cover of Time Life magazine, along with a portrait of the artist by Giovanni Gastel. The journey continues through the photographer’s iconic works from the 1960s and 1970s, including images from his groundbreaking 1978 publication Skyline and expands to more recent explorations featuring rare Polaroids, urban fragments, shadow studies and artistic representations of the female form.
A special section highlights Fontana’s relationship with the city of Rome, showcasing a series of evocative photographs taken along the historic Via Appia. This part of the exhibition draws connections between Fontana’s work and three iconic routes: Route 66, the Camino de Santiago and the Appian Way, each of which reflects the artist’s deep connection with place, time and cultural identity.
Visit the exhibition of the shots by the photographer Franco Fontanta and discover the floor dedicated to photography at 47 Boutique Hotel.
For more details about opening hours visit the official website.
Discover more exhibitions and events
Franco Fontana at the Ara Pacis in Rome until August 31, 2025: over 200 iconic images celebrating the master of color photography.
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