Mum's the word: Trussardi's 'La Grande Madre' exhibition opens in Milan

Since artistic director Massimiliano Gioni came on board in 2002, the Nicola Trussardi Foundation has become famous for using the city of Milan as its own roving art-space. Usually, this involves commandeering a hidden basement, a crumbling palazzo, a public mall or, in the case of Maurizio Cattelan’s controversial 2004 mise-en-scene featuring three hanged children, an old oak tree on a traffic junction near the canals.
But for its most recent exhibition, 'La Grande Madre', which opened this week, the Foundation went rogue – or rather, fully traditional. The show takes place across 29 rooms spread throughout the Palazzo Reale, one of the Milan's most glittering historical institutions.
The decision to colonise a classical art space was, to a certain degree, mandated by the scale and provenance of the art itself. 'The exhibit is enormous,' remarks Beatrice Trussardi, president of the foundation and daughter of the eponymous Nicola, who works closely with Gioni on each annual exhibit, including the recent wheatfield conceived by Agnes Denes and planted in the city’s Porta Nuova district. 'Plus, we have so many very important works that have been loaned by institutions and collectors that required heavily monitored conditions and security.'
The exhibition, which deals exclusively with the theme of motherhood, features over 400 works by 139 international, occidental artists made between 1900 and the present, including Diane Arbus, Louise Bourgeois, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp and Jeff Koons. Three quarters of the artists are female and the topic of maternity is not just celebrated, but more often deconstructed, analysed and laid bare in its often unglamorous – sometimes horrifying – reality, for all the world to see.
The exhibition took two years to conceive and was planned to coincide with the city’s 'Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life' expo theme. Gioni was not present for the press opening yesterday in Milan, a first for him. But he had a relevant – if somewhat ironic – excuse: he became a father for the first time 48 hours prior.
The exhibition deals exclusively with the theme of motherhood, featuring over 400 works by 139 international, occidental artists. Courtesy of the Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Milano
Three quarters of the artists are female and the topic of maternity is not just celebrated, but more often deconstructed, analysed and laid bare. Courtesy of the Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Milano
Mother [Madre], by Maurizio Cattelan, 1999. Courtesy of the Archivio Maurizio Cattelan
Julie, Den Hagg, The Netherlands, February 29 1994, by Rineke Dijkstra, 1994.
Untitled (Perth Amboy), by Rachel Harrison, 2001.
Mirror Check, by Joan Jonas, 1970.
Image from the series A Child is Born, by Lennart Nilsson, 1965.
The exhibition opens with a reassuring, clichéd view of motherhood at the turn of the 20th century, but quickly develops a tension also channeled in traditional female roles. Courtesy of the Archivio Maurizio Cattelan
Miggi & Ilene, Los Angeles, California, by Catherine Opie, 1995.
Untitled #216, by Cindy Sherman, 1989.
The exhibit took two years to conceive and was planned to coincide with Milan’s 'Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life' 2015 expo theme. Courtesy of the Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Milano
Mumum, by Sarah Lucas, 2012.
Migrant Mother, by Dorothea Lange, 1936.
Massimiliano Gioni – the foundation's artistic director – had a ironic excuse for not attending the press opening: he became a father for the first time 48 hours prior. Courtesy of the Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Milano
ADDRESS
Palazzo Reale
Piazza Duomo 12
Milan
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
JJ Martin
-
Take a trip to Tbilisi, where defiant creatives are forging a vibrant cultural future
As Georgia’s government lurches towards authoritarianism, we head to Tbilisi to celebrate the city’s indomitable spirit and the passionate creatives striving to inspire hope for future generations
-
Peek inside Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse as 12 residents open the doors to their apartments
At Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse in Marseille, we meet the residents enjoying a harmonious balance of independence and community (alongside the odd rooftop apéritif)
-
With hints of peach and white chocolate, Casa Noble’s new tequila is one to savour
Marqués de Casa Noble Tequila is a limited-edition from the Mexican company, boasting tasting notes of vanilla and peach, roasted nuts and white chocolate
-
Creativity and rest reign at this Tuscan residence for Black queer artists
MQBMBQ residency founder Jordan Anderson sparks creativity at his annual Tuscan artist residency. Wallpaper* meets him to hear about this year's focus.
-
Photographer Mohamed Bourouissa reflects on society, community and the marginalised at MAST
Mohamed Bourouissa unites his work from the last two decades at Bologna’s Fondazione MAST
-
Ten super-cool posters for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics have just been unveiled
The Olympic committees asked ten young artists for their creative take on the 2026 Milano Cortina Games
-
25 artists reimagine the teapot at Milan Design Week 2025
Come to Loewe’s cross-cultural tea party: pots of fun in Milan as artists, designers and architects celebrate the universal comfort of tea
-
Inside the unexpected collaboration between Marni’s Francesco Risso and artists Slawn and Soldier
New exhibition ‘The Pink Sun’ will take place at Francesco Risso’s palazzo in Milan in collaboration with Saatchi Yates, opening after the Marni show today, 26 February
-
What makes fashion and art such good bedfellows?
There has always been a symbiosis between fashion and the art world. Here, we look at what makes the relationship such a successful one
-
Remembering Oliviero Toscani, fashion photographer and author of provocative Benetton campaigns
Best known for the controversial adverts he shot for the Italian fashion brand, former art director Oliviero Toscani has died, aged 82
-
Distracting decadence: how Silvio Berlusconi’s legacy shaped Italian TV
Stefano De Luigi's monograph Televisiva examines how Berlusconi’s empire reshaped Italian TV, and subsequently infiltrated the premiership