In Treviso, the Salce Collection becomes Art Nouveau Week.

The overall project and the twinning with Lombardy | The general exhibition path traces the evolution of advertising at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when the illustrated poster becomes a meeting point between art and everyday life. The investigation focuses on the work of Leopoldo Metlicovitz, a leading figure of the Ricordi Workshops in Milan, alongside other great Italian poster artists such as Mataloni, Cavaleri, Terzi and Hohenstein, culminating in the famous international works of Alfons Mucha (the anniversary of his death is on July 14).

This extensive scientific itinerary unfolds through an interregional twinning based on specific historical motivations: while Lombardy is the land where Metlicovitz lived and developed his career, Treviso holds, thanks to the donation of Nando Salce, the most important collection of his works.

For this reason, while the originals are on display in Treviso, in the Lombard locations of the widespread exhibition in Cadegliano (Varese) – at the Antica Stazione and Villa Toletti – the project unfolds through a selection of reproductions of the posters from the Salce Museum. (For information on hours and access to the Lombard locations, please consult the channels of the Associazione Italia Liberty).

Between the end of the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century, – explains Elisabetta Pasqualin, director of the National Museum Collezione Salce in Treviso – the poster emerged as a privileged area for dialogue between art and industrial production, capable of reinterpreting Symbolist, decorative, and modern languages, reflecting the profound changes of the Belle Époque. Fortunately, – continues Pasqualin – Nando Salce recognized its documentary value early on and, thanks to his foresight, created an extremely significant collection. Today we can thus access direct testimonies of the production of the era and the extraordinary works of the main poster artists who participated, some of which will be exhibited in the show scheduled for July at the Santa Margherita venue.

The study conference: Monday, July 13 (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM)

On Monday, July 13, the Santa Margherita venue will host the study day “The Art Nouveau Advertising Season”, a moment of scientific deepening focused on the evolution of visual languages and image communication of the time.

The meeting will open with institutional greetings from Elisabetta Pasqualin (Director of the National Museum Collection Salce) and Andrea Speziali (President of the Italia Liberty association), followed by the specialized presentations of the speakers:

• Ezio Godoli (Architectural Historian) – The Woman in the Liberty Postcard
• Francesco Trentini (Art Historian) – The Last Rebirth. Gods and Heroes at the Dawn of the Age of Technology 1890-1935
• Ferruccio Farina (Historian of tourism and visual communication) – The Sirens of the Adriatic: Dudovich’s Sea
• Emanuele Bardazzi (Art Historian) – The Triumph of Graphic Art in Belle Époque Paris: Georges de Feure
• Andrea Speziali (President of Italia Liberty) – The Liberty Advertising Season

Practical information: Entry is free and open. You can reserve a spot by filling out the online form at forms.gle/pw27XNKji9nnMGZu7. For information: info@italialiberty.it | SMS or WhatsApp: (+39) 320 0445798.

The National Museum Salce Collection in Treviso participates in Art Nouveau Week 2026

On the occasion of the Art Nouveau Week 2026, the National Museum Salce Collection in Treviso enriches its summer program with a focus on advertising graphics from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Now in its eighth edition, the event is a widespread format promoted by the Italia Liberty association, which every year, during the week of July 8 to 14, organizes a schedule of openings of historic buildings, exhibitions, and conferences dedicated to the Liberty style in Italy and Europe. The guiding theme for this 2026 edition will be the sea, a symbolic, decorative, and cultural element that profoundly characterized the Belle Époque era.

The widespread exhibition: “The Art Nouveau Poster. From Metlicovitz to Mucha”: from July 3 to July 26, 2026

By Elisabetta Pasqualin, Andrea Speziali, Carla Tocchetti

The exhibition in Treviso (National Museum Collection Salce) | The apse of the Santa Margherita location hosts a focused section of this exhibition project, presenting a selection of nine original historical posters from the Salce Collection. The pieces have been specifically chosen to interact with the temporary exhibition currently underway at the same venue, “The Last Renaissance. Gods and Heroes at the Dawn of the Age of Technology 1890-1935” (co-curated by Francesco Trentini and Elisabetta Pasqualin), open until November 4, 2026. Four works created in Liberty style by students from the Artistic High School of Treviso, previously exhibited in the “Le Quinte al Museo” exhibition, will also be displayed.

• Location: Santa Margherita, via Reggimento Italia Libera, Treviso.
• Hours: from Friday to Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (last entry at 5:30 PM).

The overall project and the twinning with Lombardy | The general exhibition path traces the evolution of advertising at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when the illustrated poster becomes a meeting point between art and everyday life. The investigation focuses on the work of Leopoldo Metlicovitz, a leading figure of the Ricordi Workshops in Milan, alongside other great Italian poster artists such as Mataloni, Cavaleri, Terzi and Hohenstein, culminating in the famous international works of Alfons Mucha (the anniversary of his death is on July 14).

This extensive scientific itinerary unfolds through an interregional twinning based on specific historical motivations: while Lombardy is the land where Metlicovitz lived and developed his career, Treviso holds, thanks to the donation of Nando Salce, the most important collection of his works.

For this reason, while the originals are on display in Treviso, in the Lombard locations of the widespread exhibition in Cadegliano (Varese) – at the Antica Stazione and Villa Toletti – the project unfolds through a selection of reproductions of the posters from the Salce Museum. (For information on hours and access to the Lombard locations, please consult the channels of the Associazione Italia Liberty).

Between the end of the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century, – explains Elisabetta Pasqualin, director of the National Museum Collezione Salce in Treviso – the poster emerged as a privileged area for dialogue between art and industrial production, capable of reinterpreting Symbolist, decorative, and modern languages, reflecting the profound changes of the Belle Époque. Fortunately, – continues Pasqualin – Nando Salce recognized its documentary value early on and, thanks to his foresight, created an extremely significant collection. Today we can thus access direct testimonies of the production of the era and the extraordinary works of the main poster artists who participated, some of which will be exhibited in the show scheduled for July at the Santa Margherita venue.

The study conference: Monday, July 13 (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM)

On Monday, July 13, the Santa Margherita venue will host the study day “The Art Nouveau Advertising Season”, a moment of scientific deepening focused on the evolution of visual languages and image communication of the time.

The meeting will open with institutional greetings from Elisabetta Pasqualin (Director of the National Museum Collection Salce) and Andrea Speziali (President of the Italia Liberty association), followed by the specialized presentations of the speakers:

• Ezio Godoli (Architectural Historian) – The Woman in the Liberty Postcard
• Francesco Trentini (Art Historian) – The Last Rebirth. Gods and Heroes at the Dawn of the Age of Technology 1890-1935
• Ferruccio Farina (Historian of tourism and visual communication) – The Sirens of the Adriatic: Dudovich’s Sea
• Emanuele Bardazzi (Art Historian) – The Triumph of Graphic Art in Belle Époque Paris: Georges de Feure
• Andrea Speziali (President of Italia Liberty) – The Liberty Advertising Season

Practical information: Entry is free and open. You can reserve a spot by filling out the online form at forms.gle/pw27XNKji9nnMGZu7. For information: info@italialiberty.it | SMS or WhatsApp: (+39) 320 0445798.