Robert Wilson’s immersive tribute to Michelangelo’s Pietà Rondanini and Arvo Pärt
MAXXI is presenting Mother, Robert Wilson’s final artistic project, an experience that sits somewhere between visual installation, performance, and concert. This is not a conventional exhibition: it’s built to be lived in real time, inviting visitors to slow down, sit in silence, and let light and sound do the storytelling.
At its core is Michelangelo’s unfinished Pietà Rondanini, shown here through the historic Gariboldi plaster cast, framed by Wilson’s signature language of darkness, precision lighting, and measured transitions. The soundtrack is Arvo Pärt’s Stabat Mater, whose sacred minimalism deepens the emotional atmosphere and turns the encounter into something almost meditative.
Staged in Gallery 5, the installation transforms the space by fully darkening it and abstractly reconstructing the “Spanish Hospital” room at Milan’s Castello Sforzesco (where the work was originally conceived). After the main light-and-music sequence, the lighting shifts, allowing time to look at the sculpture more directly; visitors can also view Wilson’s original drawings connected to the project’s development.
The event runs from 12 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, with timed entry slots between 11:30am and 5:30pm (limited capacity). Tickets cost €5; if you’d like to include museum admission, a combined ticket is available for €17.
