The Facts
On September 17, 2026, Thaddaeus Ropac announced the opening of 'Perché più bruci', an exhibition dedicated to Italian artist Leoncillo Leonardi at its Milan gallery. The show, curated by Lorenzo Fiorucci, Alberto Salvadori, and Azalea Seratoni, runs until November 14, 2026, and marks the artist's first solo exhibition with the gallery as well as the beginning of the gallery's representation of the Fondazione Leoncillo. The exhibition brings together sculptures and works on paper spanning four decades, highlighting Leoncillo's exclusive use of terracotta and his exploration of the body's connection to nature. A restored key work, 'Colomba' (1952-53), is presented suspended for the first time since its original conception.
The Signal
The exhibition signals Thaddaeus Ropac's strategic expansion into Italian post-war art and its commitment to reviving overlooked 20th-century sculptors. Leoncillo's radical use of terracotta, particularly in his Informale period, transformed the medium into a vehicle for expressing existential pain and corporeal intensity. For collectors, the show offers rare access to a coherent body of work by an artist who worked almost exclusively in clay, with the restored 'Colomba' serving as a pivotal piece that bridges his post-Cubist and naturalist phases. The planned trilogy of exhibitions suggests a sustained scholarly and market focus on Leoncillo's legacy.
- Artists: Leoncillo Leonardi
- People: Lorenzo Fiorucci, Alberto Salvadori, Azalea Seratoni
- Galleries: Thaddaeus Ropac
- Locations: Milan
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