He was a designer for artists and an artist for designers. That tension shaped Bruno Munari’s creative path, a figure born in Milan in 1907 and who lived until 1998. Despite his lasting influence on 20th century culture, he remained little known in Spain for many years.
To break the so-called Munari curse in this country, the Juan March Foundation organized Spain’s first retrospective of Munari. It premiered in Madrid, and now, in collaboration with the Alicante museum and the Generalitat Valenciana Consortium of Museums, it has arrived at MACA. The show opens this Monday morning and will run until 25 September.
“He would have appreciated a seaside city for his first retrospective,” noted Manuel Fontán. The exhibition, featuring 137 works, is curated by Marco Meneguzzo and Aida Çapa. Spanning the 1930s to the 1990s, it traverses editorial graphics and product design, painting and sculpture, and books as projects, research, and play objects meant to collect all the records he engaged with.
With this presentation that the Mart Foundation plans to stage, Fontán highlights Munari’s plural activity as the author’s broad toolbox in his plastic and visual research, always experimental and inventive. Seen in person, the exhibit evokes a chorus of diverse artists, because Munari could be both actor and director in a circus, a true pioneer who soared ahead of his time.
Picasso revered Munari, calling him the “Leonardo of Our Time.” In the 1930s Munari inverted abstraction with air machines and a suite of playful, useless machines. He delved into research with technology, experimenting with copy machines and early computer concepts, while pursuing works that explored light and poetic invention, including “2000 fossils,” traveling statues, and talking forks.
“Munari was fascinated by the internet,” the curator explained, “yet he also saw opportunities to balance harmony, humor, and truth.”
Dating with art in Madrid
Munari’s pedagogical approach is central. He staged exhibitions across Alicante and Madrid, shaping his career from 2019 to 2020. By the 1970s he introduced what later seemed almost normal: labs for children, hands-on workshops, and learning by doing, combining experimentation with play, a forward-thinking approach that found a home in Brera Academy in Milan.
Included in the show is a specially designed workshop space, a separate area within the galleries where children and youths can interact with the works, fostering a living laboratory vibe. A notable feature is the Great Lucini Alphabet.
Collaborative work
The pieces on view come from galleries, foundations, private collections, and Italian institutions, and will later travel to the Juan March Foundation in Palma and the Spanish Museum of Abstract Art in Cuenca. Contributions come from Fondazione Jacqueline Vodoz e Bruno Danese in Milan, Repetto Gallery in London, the Lafuente Archive, Cadaqués Gallery, and the Ugo Mulas Archive. The curators note that collaborative support emerged when MACA partnered with the Consorci de Museus, underscoring the value of cross-institutional cooperation.
Mayor of Alicante Luis Barcala praised Munari as a polyhedral innovator whose work anticipated many modern forms. MACA’s international outlook and commitment to the avant-garde align with a mission to educate the people of Alicante and elevate the museum on the national map of contemporary art.
Bruno Munari’s work at the Aula d’Estiu del MACA
The Cultural Councilor, Anthony Manresa, expressed gratitude to the Fundación Juan March for choosing Alicante and MACA as a travel destination. For the city, this retrospective represents a major cultural incentive and helps keep the museum in the national spotlight for contemporary art.
For the director of the Consorci de Museus, José Luis Perez Pont, the exhibition will enable a stronger connection with a key creator who resonates with MACA’s discourse and its broader mission. It complements the Sempre collection and links to a wider educational program.
Complementary activities include a summer program titled Munari Real Estate Munari, a July art school running from 4 to 29 July with daily sessions. Free guided tours are offered for groups, with pre-booking options and scheduled tours on Saturdays, and Sundays and holidays. Educational workshops inspired by Munari’s pioneering pedagogy take place on select Saturdays in July and September. A documentary and podcast explore Munari’s thinking, available through the museum’s channels and related platforms.
The organizers emphasize that this exhibition will be a lasting feature, not just a Valencia-bound moment. MACA highlights six years of regional restructuring and strong cooperation with Mubag and Cigarreras, supported by a 2022 budget of 730,000 euros dedicated to exhibition production, housing, and mediation projects.