The first major exhibition of Bruno Munari in Spain is available for viewing at MACA until September 25. Since its June 14 opening, more than 15,000 people have engaged with the show, with a total of 15,287 visitors to date. This retrospective highlights the Italian artist and designer, presenting a collaboration between the Juan March Foundation and the Valencia Community Museums Consortium, with audiences coming from Alicante province, across Spain, and from international destinations [CITATION: Consorci de Museus and MACA collaboration].
Adapted for Alicante after touring Madrid, the exhibition gathers 137 works spanning Munari’s practice from the 1930s to the 1990s. It includes graphic design, editorial projects, product design for painting and sculpture, as well as books, games, research materials, and a range of objects. The display emphasizes Munari’s ongoing exploration of form, color, and structure, inviting visitors to consider how ideas travel from concept to object across media [CITATION: Exhibition curatorial notes].
After a pause in August, Alicante Contemporary Art Museum reactivated the Munari exhibition with a program of Saturday morning workshops and intensified sessions from earlier offerings. The museum recorded 155 participants in these sessions, complemented by guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays. Registration details are available on the MACA website for those seeking a hands-on experience during the run of the show [CITATION: MACA programming notices].
In Milan in 1977, Munari proposed workshops under the banner Art by Giocare, or playing with art, encouraging participants to observe different artistic movements and to experiment with techniques and materials. The emphasis on color, shape, and texture as experimental tools invited viewers to engage directly with artifacts on display. Munari later repeated similar workshops under the name Laboratories, prioritizing process and exploration over the finished product [CITATION: Munari archival materials].
Following Munari’s philosophy, workshops welcome participants from six years old onward, including children, teenagers, adults, and families. With activities built around a flexible alphabet of good-lucini-like elements, the projects bring together various materials to encourage free, creative expression long after the sessions end. The goal is to keep Munari’s spirit of playful experimentation alive in daily practice [CITATION: MACA educator notes].
Playing and experimenting serve as a strong approach to creating and understanding contemporary art, offering a clear lens into the figure of Bruno Munari, a pillar in 20th-century art, graphic design, and industrial design. The Consorci de Museus in Alicante is committed to presenting programming that offers distinctive experiences while raising the profile of an artist who remains relatively underrecognized. The director of the Consorci de Museus notes the historical significance of this initiative and its value for the public and for cultural dialogue [CITATION: Jose Luis Perez Pont statement].
Exhibition
Bruno Munari (Milan, 1907-1998) has been described by Picasso as “a Leonardo of our time” and stands as one of those artists whose practical influence on 20th-century culture is often overlooked. Curated by Marco Meneguzzo, Manuel Fontán del Junco, and Aida Capa, the show surveys Munari’s wide-ranging artistic production and foregrounds the inventiveness behind his visual and plastic research, illustrating how he leveraged tools, materials, and ideas in a constant experimental loop [CITATION: Exhibition curators].
The installation owes its realization to the generosity of lenders who contributed Munari works over an extended period. Notable institutions supporting the display include Fondazione Jacqueline Vodoz e Bruno Danese in Milan, Repetto Gallery in London, the Lafuente Archive, Helga de Alvear Contemporary Art Museum, Cadaqués Gallery, the Ugo Mulas Archive, and various private collections. Their involvement showcases Munari’s global reach and the trust between public galleries and private collectors that enables expansive retrospectives [CITATION: Lending institutions].
Following its run in Alicante, the exhibition will travel to the Fundación Juan March Museum in Palma and later to the Spanish Museum of Abstract Art in Cuenca, expanding access to Munari’s innovative practice across multiple regions and audiences [CITATION: Planned tour schedule].