In the bicentenary since the birth of Giovanni Fattori, Livorno pays homage to one of his most extraordinary artists, with a great exhibition, the reopening of Villa Mimbelli, home of the museum dedicated to the painter, a path to discover the Fatorian places and a series of
Appointments. The exhibition “Giovanni Fattori. A revolution in painting” by Vincenzo Farinella from 6 September 2025 to 11 January 2026, 200 years and over 200 works in Villa Mimbelli, the “G. Fattori” civic museum in Livorno which reopens after the restoration. Horses, fields and peasants, together with the soldiers and Italy of the Risorgimento and still tameric, covons, men, women, clouds and powerful oxen, flooded by the sun and wrapped in skies full of light. The city of Livorno, on the day of the artist’s birthday (September 6), starts the celebrations dedicated to Giovanni Fattori and his bicentenary with a great exhibition at Villa Mimbelli, home of the Civic Museum dedicated to the painter. Paintings, drawings and etchings, of which many little or never seen, invite you to discover the pictorial revolution of Giovanni Fattori, the artist of nature, the stain, of the social and military life caught in its most human aspects. An exhibition itinerary divided into sections that demonstrates the unique vision of an artist who has been able to collect the teachings of Italian painting and the foundations of drawing without ever imitating any style, always looking for a personal and authentic way, far from clamor and rhetoric because “free art satisfies and consoles and distracts”. Over a long life factors (Livorno 6 September 1825 – Florence 30 August 1908) He has maintained the awareness and pride of having in the veins “always the arrogant from Livorno” and feeling also for this reason emancipated, both in the great works, witnesses of the motions and the Risorgimento spirit and of the belonging to the new and powerful language of the stained
oils, both in the last and intense tests. Giovanni Fattori. A 
Revolution in painting tells the land and the sea, portrayed in their blazing beauty, and the ferment of a historical period through the humanity of its protagonists. Thanks to colors and spots, the works transmit the sense of summer warmth, its perfumes, the dilation of time, the essence of life, of an existence often harsh and imbued with fatigue that marks the faces that the factory painting never loses dignity the exhibition is promoted and organized by the Municipality of Livorno in collaboration with the “Matteucci” Institute of Viareggio, with the patronage and contribution of the Tuscany Region and the contribution of the Tuscany Region and the contribution of Piacenza Foundation. Main Sponsor Livorno Foundation and Maremma and Tyrrhenian Chamber of Commerce. Sponsor Banca di Credito Cooperativo di Castagneto Carducci Scpa, Technical Sponsor Howden Spa. W Fattori the cultural promotion project dedicated to the artist and the city with W Fattori, the Municipality of Livorno starts an ambitious cultural promotion program dedicated to the figure of Giovanni Fattori and, at the same time, to cultural enhancement. The project, aimed at various public bands, from children to families, from young people to adults is divided into a series of coordinated initiatives, 
promoted directly by the municipal administration or carried out in collaboration with the local associations, with the aim of guaranteeing maximum visibility and accessibility.
The first step of W Fattori is the reopening of the Fattori Museum, custodian of the most complete permanent collection dedicated to the Livorno painter, and the transformation of Villa Mimbelli and its park into an even more alive, inclusive and attractive cultural center, capable of combining beauty, memory and innovation, for full integration into the cultural and social fabric of the city. In fact, Villa Mimbelli reopens after a closing period dedicated to the restoration works, made precisely in view of this extraordinary occasion. Giovanni Fattori. A revolution in painting is therefore not only an artistic celebration on the occasion of the two hundred years since the birth of the painter, but a first great step of a concrete commitment in the cultural regeneration of a common good, with a wide, participatory and sustainable vision. A long -term program within which the opening of a refreshment point are expected inside the park and the functional restoration of the small historical theater, to host 
Events, readings, shows and cultural encounters, in addition to the enhancement of other spaces such as the grains of Villa Mimbelli Permanent office of the Medici Museum which with a large collection of works, documents and finds testify to the crucial role of the Medici dynasty in the Foundation and in the development of Livorno, in addition to the bookshop, the art library and the playroom.
The places of factors a path in the city between memories, landscapes and inspirations The places of factors will involve squares, streets, historic buildings and glimpses dear to the Livornese master: an immersive proposal between art and territory. It will be possible to discover or rediscover places lived over the years, such as the artist’s birthplace, the Cathedral, the San Marco theater, but also evocative spaces such as the statue of factors off Cisternino, up to the landscapes immortalized in its paintings, such as the Tamerice d’Antignano or Bagni Palmieri. The initiative, created by the Agave Cooperative, in collaboration with 
A network of partners including the Labronic group, does not just tell the artist’s biography, but proposes a wider vision of society, characters, places and the historical context that have influenced factors. A multidisciplinary approach that combines culture and tourism, creating new narrative ideas. The key places of the route will be reported by interactive plates with QR Code, through which it will be possible to access a dedicated site with textual and audio content, for an engaging and authentic experience. The project also includes a guided tours program designed for all ages. The path of enhancement of the great talents of Livorno, from Modigliani to Mascagni, from Caproni to Piero Ciampi, continues to arrive today to Giovanni Fattori, the “master” of the Macchiaioli, in the year of the bicentenary of the birth. An artist who was linked to his city, despite having operated elsewhere, and who has been able to immortalize it in unforgettable views visible live even today (I think of the stretches of promenade, the Tamerice of Antignano …). With the exhibition, and with the redevelopment of the civic museum center dedicated to Giovanni Fattori, we intend to enhance one of the most important artists of the 19th century Italian e 
relaunch it internationally. Luca Salvetti, mayor of Livorno with the bicentenary of Giovanni Fattori we celebrate not only a great master of painting, but also the most authentic soul of Livorno. Fattori has left us with a free, profound and unrepeatable look, capable of truthfully telling nature, daily effort and humanity. In this exhibition and cultural path, the city finds itself and recognizes itself: in places, in landscapes, in people. It is a tribute that starts from Livorno and speaks to the world, returning to factors the centrality it deserves and strengthening the indissoluble link between the artist and his land. With the
Progetto W Fattori and the reopening of the museum after the restoration, we want this anniversary to be not only a celebration but a new beginning for the continuous enhancement of our cultural identity, open, lively and participatory. Angela Rafanelli, Councilor for Culture, Municipality of Livorno Giovanni Fattori: a revolution in painting. The word “revolution”, connected in the title of the exhibition to the name of factors, could at first sight surprise. In reality, Fattori was a doubly revolutionary painter: both in the heroic years of the “stain” and the Castiglioncello school, when he was one of the major protagonists of the radical renewal of Italian art that takes place in the seventh decade of the nineteenth century, both in the years of maturity and old age, when the breakdown of the academic rules and the perspective space, appreciable in many of his paintings and in the memorable etchings, Decisive for young artists who overlooked the twentieth century.
Carlo Franza