PAZZA IDEA. Oltre il '68: icone pop nelle fotografie di Angelo Frontoni

The Museo Nazionale del Cinema presents the photographic exhibition PAZZA IDEA. Oltre il '68: icone pop nelle fotografie di Angelo Frontoni (PAZZA IDEA. Beyond ’68: Pop Icons in the Photographs of Angelo Frontoni), a captivating account of the 1970s and 1980s seen through the lens of photographer Angelo Frontoni, who, with elegance and irony, was able to capture the spirit and contradictions of those years.

Angelo Frontoni, with his unmistakable baroque taste, always bordering on excess, portrayed stars of cinema, television and fashion. In his photographs, published in national and international magazines and newspapers, seduction merges with the irony of his gaze; provocation and tenderness coexist in a surprising balance. Today, these images tell the story of entertainment in an era and, above all, the desires and fantasies of a generation.

The exhibition route begins in the Aula del Tempio, where visitors are welcomed by three giant tripolina screens positioned 18 metres high around the panoramic lift. Here, some of the portraits featured in the exhibition come to life, appearing to float beneath the dome of the Mole, in dialogue with the large screens that simultaneously present a montage of films starring the artists portrayed.

Along the Helical Ramp, 200 photographs depict 62 Italian and international artists, accompanying visitors on a visual journey through two decades of profound social and political transformation, vividly narrated and interpreted by the protagonists of those years: actors, singers and models. From Jane Fonda to Brigitte Bardot, from Jane Birkin to Claudia Cardinale, from Fabio Testi to Ringo Starr, from Elsa Martinelli to Marisa Mell, from Ilona Staller to Moana Pozzi, from Edwige Fenech to the Kessler sisters, from Loredana Berté to Ornella Vanoni and Raffaella Carrà, ending — or beginning — with Patty Pravo.

The exhibition is narrated through panels inspired by the songs of those years. Music, rock and pop in their many forms are in fact an essential component of Frontoni’s work, and various musical motifs emerge almost naturally from his photographs. To highlight this aspect, the exhibition is accompanied by an international music playlist available on Spotify, with selected tracks that accompany visitors and contribute to a fully immersive experience in the world of those years.

Outside, on the historic railing of the Mole Antonelliana, four mirror panels invite passers-by to take selfies with some of the characters featured in the exhibition, involving visitors in this play of reflections, where reality and spectacle meet in a timeless place.

The exhibition — on view at the Mole Antonelliana from 20 September 2025 to 9 March 2026 — is curated by Carlo Chatrian with Roberta Basano and Elena Boux.

• tickets

From 23 to 29 September, Cinema Massimo presents the film series "L'importante è non farsi notare" (The Important Thing Is Not to Be Noticed), ideally inspired by the exhibition, featuring four films: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner by Stanley Kramer, Barbarella by Roger Vadim, One on Top of the Other by Lucio Fulci, and Je t’aime moi non plus by Serge Gainsbourg. The programme explores cinema, television, music, variety shows and fashion in search of those colourful, exuberant and carefree traces that bear witness to a radical change in society and in the way people represented themselves.

The Videoroom, hosted in a chapel of the Aula del Tempio, engages in dialogue with the exhibition by presenting a selection of commercials from the CSC – Archivio Nazionale Cinema Impresa. Produced between the late 1960s and the 1980s, they offer a brief journey through the iconic objects of a generation.

Self-taught photographer Angelo Frontoni (1929–2002) made his debut in 1957 with a photo feature on Gina Lollobrigida. From that moment on, his lens never ceased to focus on the leading figures of cinema and entertainment, caressed by his gentle and precise gaze. With a style that was both baroque and direct, capable of blending the spirit of Swinging London with a distinctly Italian touch, his images appeared in publications such as Stern, Paris Match, The Sunday Times, Photo and even the American edition of Playboy. More than simple portraits, they are true visual narratives that helped define an era.

The Angelo Frontoni Archive consists of over 546,000 images acquired in 2004 by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin and the Cineteca Nazionale – Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome. This major acquisition represents an invaluable heritage, preserving not only the memory of cinema and popular culture, but also the portrait of an entire era.