Manifesti d'artista (Film Posters by Artists)

From 20 October 2025 to 22 February 2026, the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin presents Manifesti d’Artista (ARTISTS’ POSTERS), curated by Nicoletta Pacini and Tamara Sillo. The exhibition features ten large-format posters spanning the silent and sound eras, together with the brochure created by Renato Guttuso for the release of Giuseppe De Santis’s Bitter Rice.

Staged on the Reception Level of the Mole Antonelliana, the works come from the Museum’s collections. These true hidden gems are, in most cases, being displayed for the first time. What makes them distinctive is that they represent incursions into film-poster design by artists who transformed advertising materials into works of art in their own right. Through their creativity, the posters acquired an artistic autonomy that extends beyond the films for which they were originally created.

Behind each poster is the hand of an eclectic artist capable of translating great creative vision into graphic form. The works of these artists, who occasionally lent their talents to film promotion, convey the cultural vitality of the periods in which they lived and worked.

The exhibition includes works by renowned painters such as Rodchenko, Prampolini, Guttuso and Baj. They are joined by eclectic figures such as the satirical illustrator and writer Scarpelli, and Toddi, who during his eventful life also spent several years working as a director and producer, designing striking posters for his own films. Also featured is Vera D’Angara, a Russian actress and illustrator who found both love and creative freedom in Italy. 

The Futurism of the 1910s emerges in Scarpelli’s explosive and colourful designs for Il sogno di Don Chisciotte, as well as in Prampolini’s elegant poster for Thaïs, regarded as the only surviving Italian Futurist film. The work of Toddi and Vera D’Angara, one of the most original artistic partnerships in the history of cinema and illustration, reflects the refined graphic style and aesthetic elegance of the 1920s.

Far removed from purely aesthetic concerns, and instead conveying an unmistakable political message, is the celebrated poster for Battleship Potemkin, designed by Russian artist Alexander Rodchenko, a founder of Constructivism. Exceptionally rare and visually powerful, it is regarded as one of the most emblematic examples of the fusion between cinema and art.

While the silent era is represented by such significant works, the age of sound also produced its own artists’ posters. Directors Giuseppe De Santis, Francesco Rosi and the Taviani brothers commissioned painters Guttuso and Baj to create promotional materials that departed from the conventional language of film advertising and became personal, authorial interpretations. Art and cinema move along parallel paths, occasionally meeting and exchanging roles, revealing a spirit of experimentation that is, above all, a powerful artistic statement.

The exhibition has been designed in accordance with Design for All principles to ensure an accessible and enjoyable experience for all visitors. Three multisensory panels feature visual-tactile reproductions of posters by Enrico Prampolini, Filiberto Scarpelli and Enrico Baj, accompanied by audio guides in Italian and English to support tactile exploration. Each text panel also includes an Italian Sign Language interpretation and an audio reading, accessible via QR code and NFC.

A dedicated ticket for the Manifesti d'artista (Artists’ Posters) exhibition only is available for €4.

Admission to the exhibition is included with the Museo Nazionale del Cinema ticket.

All press materials can be downloaded HERE.