Culture

“Jeff Wall. Photographs” at the Gallerie d'Italia museum in Turin

Uomo seduto su una sedia al centro di una stanza molto disordinata con il soffitto ricoperto da lampadine

From 9 October 2025 to 1 February 2026, the Gallerie d'Italia museum in Turin, owned and run by Intesa Sanpaolo, will host the major exhibition "Jeff Wall. Photographs". Curated by David Campany, the exhibition spans more than four decades of Jeff Wall’s research into staging and documentary observation.

Jeff Wall: one of Canada's most influential working photographers

Born in Vancouver in 1946, Jeff Wall is one of the most influential artists working today. He is renowned for life-sized images, the result of in-depth preparatory and collaborative work, and for expressive language that, by combining stagecraft and realism, draws unusual, dreamlike situations from everyday life.

For over forty years, the Canadian photographer has been creating images that explore every aspect of modern society, addressing themes like war, nature, gender, race and social class, often resulting in images that are as enigmatic as the issues that inspired them. Rather than telling stories, these images invite visitors to come up with their own interpretations, much like poetry.

Wall is influenced by the work of famous photographers and painters, but also by nature and cinema, particularly Italian Neorealism and its interplay of ordinary life and drama.

1. Jeff Wall, Informant, An occurrence not described in chapter 6, part 3, of Últimas tardes, con Teresa by Juan Marsé

2. Jeff Wall, Woman with a necklace, 2021, Silver gelatin print, 163.6 x 227.6 cm, © Courtesy of the Artist

3. Jeff Wall, After 'Invisible Man', by Ralph Ellison, the Prologue, 1999-2001, transparency in lightbox, 174 x 250.5 cm

4. Jeff Wall, Boxing, 2011, lightjet print, 215 x 295 cm, © Courtesy of the Artist

5. Jeff Wall, Event, 2021, inkjet print, 223.2 x 168.5 cm, © Courtesy of the Artist

6. Jeff Wall, Mask maker, 2015, Inkjet print, 167.4 x 134.5 cm, © Courtesy of the Artist and White Cube

7. Jeff Wall, The Drain, 1989, Transparency in lightbox, 229.0 x 290.0 cm, © Courtesy of the Artist and White Cube

8. Jeff Wall, Listener, 2015, Inkjet print, 159.4 x 233 cm, © Courtesy of the Artist and White Cube

9. Jeff Wall, Morning Cleaning, Mies van der Rohe Foundation, Barcelona, 1999, transparency in light box, 187 x 351 cm

10. Jeff Wall, The Thinker, 1986, transparency in lightbox, 211 x 229 cm, © Courtesy of the Artist

[1.] 2023, Inkjet print, 136.3 x 141 cm, © Courtesy of the Artist
[3.], [9.] © Courtesy of the Artist

Bringing Jeff Wall’s work to the Gallerie d'Italia museum in Turin reaffirms the identity of the venue – open to the city – as a place in which visitors can engage with and explore the work of leading figures in international art. We are hosting some of the most significant images created by the great Canadian artist who, through photography and cinema, conveys the complexity of the modern world and captivates the public, thanks in part to the imposing size of the works, which amplifies their evocative power. Presenting the work of one of the greatest living photographers is testament to the Bank's commitment to promoting culture as a shared value, while inviting new reflections on the issues of our time.

Michele Coppola - Executive Director of Art, Culture, and Historical Heritage for Intesa Sanpaolo, and General Manager of the Gallerie d’Italia

"Jeff Wall. Photographs": a look at modern life in the exhibition

This retrospective exhibition features 27 large-scale works that trace the Canadian photographer's career and the evolution of his style, from early endeavours in the late 1980s to his most recent works. Works that highlight his extraordinary ability to address major social and political issues, exploring how complexity shapes our lives.

Each work follows its own logic and should be viewed with independent criteria in mind. Although he prefers single images, Wall has occasionally created diptychs and triptychs. With this in mind, the exhibition opens with the three-part work The Gardens/I Giardini (2017), the largest he has ever created and one of the most complex and dramatic of his artistic career.

Once again, the Gallerie d'Italia museum in Turin is hosting a major photographic exhibition that demonstrates the value we attribute to the expressive power of photography as a means of conveying important, topical messages that affect everyday society.

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Last updated 19 December 2025