A New Chapter for the Museo del Genio
For the first time since its inauguration in 1940, the Museo del Genio – a building covering over 4,000 square meters – reopens to the public as a cultural center. Also known as the Historical Institute of Culture and Engineering, the museum launches its artistic journey with two important exhibitions.
- “Vivian Maier. The exhibition” dedicated to one of most beloved American photographer
- “Pop Air” by Ugo Nespolo, presented in a national preview, with remarkable site specific sculptures by the celebrated Italian contemporary artist.
Visitors will find Maier’s photographic exhibition on the ground floor while Nespolo’s inflatable sculptures are easy to spot in the circular courtyard of Saint Barbara. Both exhibitions offer an engaging and accessible experience, perfect for an afternoon visit with family or friends.
Vivian Maier. The Exhibition
Over 200 colour and monochrome photographs, legendary images, personal belongings, never-before-seen documents, interactive and immersive spaces, audio recordings, and Super 8 films will guide the public through the world of one of the planet’s most cherished artists, whose extraordinary story has surprised and continues to touch millions of visitors.
With this exhibition, we want to pay tribute to his poetic and acute gaze, capable of capturing the truth and beauty of humanity in everyday gestures, with unique sensitivity and irony. A story that moves and surprises us, and which today, right here, takes on an even stronger symbolic value: February 1, 2026, will mark the centenary of Vivian Maier’s birth, an anniversary we celebrate with deep affection and admiration.
Iole Siena, Arthemisia’s President
Curated by Anne Morin, the major expert on Maier’s work and life, the exhibition offers an opportunity to see the “American way of life” across the 1950s to the 1990s from a different perspective: the gaze of a full time nanny who roamed New York and Chicago’s most popular neighbourhoods with her Rolleiflex and the children she cared for.
While Maier’s legacy is still in the process of getting uncovered, this exhibition showcases a great variety of works: from her most famous street photography snapshots, to her “selfies” and children’s photos, as well as rare videos and cinematic pieces. Her pictures have become iconic thanks to her powerful, intimate focus, able to explore the concept of identity and ordinary lives. It is important to remember that Vivian Maier worked most of her life as a nanny and her artistic genius was recognised only posthumously. Yet, as Anne Morin reminds us, her example still serves as an inspiration for all women willing to pursue a career in the arts.
Pop Air di Ugo Nespolo
Lightness, colours and floating shapes are at the center of Saint Barbara’s courtyard whose tower is ranked as the fifth tallest building in Rome. At the Museo del Genio, Ugo Nespolo is able to decode the symbolic and historical setting of the institute with humor and wit. The visual impact of his work is simply stunning, especially in comparison with the architectural frame of the Institute.
Nespolo presents eight site specific statues inspired by some of the most visionary artists of our times – from Pomodoro to Koons, Kusama, Modigliani without forgetting Milo’s Venus, Botero and Louise Bourgeois. “In Pop Air, I wanted to approach sculpture not as an exercise regarding weight or stability, but as an experience of mindful lightness,” explains Nespolo. “The material welcomes air, the volume becomes ephemeral, and monumentality opens up to movement.” Nespolo’s language is full of joy and invites the visitors to imagine reality in different shapes.
The site-specific inflatable installations retrace the history of Italian and international sculpture in a playful, ironic, and hyper-modern language, embellishing the renovated and upgraded spaces – renovated and redeveloped – of the Museum, built in the 1930s, whose architecture is an admirable combination of rationalist and neoclassical styles, made even more spectacular by the travertine hemicycle of the main façade and the towers reminiscent of military fortifications.
Prof.ssa Alessandra Taccone, Presidente Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale
An opportunity to discover the Museo del Genio
For history enthusiasts and lovers of scientific invention and military strategy, these exhibitions also offer a chance to explore the Museum’s historical sections. Visitors can also admire major Italian breakthroughs in technology and science, such as Guglielmo Marconi’s original radiotelegraphic equipment, preserved within the Museum. The Genio hosts a specialized library with over 24,000 volumes, a vast historical and photographic archive, and serves as a hub for study, research, and memory.
Till 15 February 2026
Lungotevere della Vittoria, 31
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Closed on Mondays
Tickets: Full €15, Reduced €13
