From the entry of women into Italian political life to the battles for work, autonomy and rights: to the Gallerie d'Italia in Milan arrives FREE! 1946–2026. Women's Conquests, the show conceived and curated by Renata Ferri and promoted by iO Woman in collaboration with Gallerie d'Italia – Milan.
The exhibition will be open from 26 September 2026 to 7 February 2027 and was created on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of iO Donna, the women's weekly magazine Corriere della Sera directed by Danda Santini. Through photography, the project retraces Eighty years of history of the Italian Republic from the point of view of women, following the long path towards full citizenship, emancipation and the affirmation of rights.
From the Founding Mothers to the battles for rights
The trip starts from June 2, 1946, when almost thirteen million Italian women participated for the first time in a national political consultation. A historic step followed by the work of the twenty-one Founding Mothers, who contributed to inserting the Constitution into the principle of equality between women and men.
From here, a path unfolds that spans the major achievements of the following eighty years: from family law reform to divorce, from equality in employment to access to the professions and the judiciary, up to the battles for self-determination and the recognition of sexual violence as a crime against the person.
The exhibition also tells the story of changes in Italian society, from access to higher education to the growing presence of women in the workplace, culture, sport, and institutions.
Fifty years of images to tell the story of Italy
The heart of the exhibition is a selection of about 50 photographs, from theIntesa Sanpaolo Publifoto Archive, from the archives of the Contrasto agency and from the archives of Paola Agosti and Marcella CampagnanoThe images portray faces and moments in Italian history, placing the great protagonists of politics, culture, and the professions side by side with the many ordinary women who contributed, in their daily lives, to the country's transformation.
Particular attention is paid to work and economic independence, considered among the fundamental steps on the path to female freedom. The photographs recount women's entry into once-precluded professions and the ongoing battles, from wage inequality to their presence in decision-making roles.
The final section instead looks at the contemporary photography and to artists who use the image as a tool for research, expression and self-representation.
Comments
Sharing the historical and photographic heritage of our collections takes on even greater significance as we retrace our country's recent history, its transformations, and its civic achievements. An archive of images reveals its value whenever it provides an opportunity for study, reflection, and even debate on current issues. The Gallerie d'Italia are living, open places where different generations and audiences meet and connect in a shared heritage.
“Since its debut, iO Donna has been narrating the evolution of our society with a careful eye on female empowerment,” explains the director. Danda Santini, which continues, "This year, as the 80th anniversary of women's suffrage coincides with the 30th anniversary of the newspaper, we decided to retrace the history of the Republic through the journey of women's emancipation in Italy. The exhibition 'LIBERE!', curated by Renata Ferri and with the participation of Intesa Sanpaolo, is an unprecedented story, capable of provoking reflection on rights and freedoms, already acquired and yet to be achieved."
The exhibition will be accompanied by vguided tours for schools e meetings open to the publico. The photographs from theIntesa Sanpaolo Publifoto Archive They have also been restored, digitized and catalogued and are available online through the Intesa Sanpaolo Historical Archive.
The Publifoto Archive, acquired by Intesa Sanpaolo in 2015, represents one of the photographic sources through which to reread the history of twentieth-century Italy.
