80 years of Italian women’s achievements on display at Gallerie d’Italia-Milan

Through a selection of approximately 50 photographs from the Intesa Sanpaolo Publifoto Archive, the Contrasto agency archive and the archive of Paola Agosti, the exhibition brings together images, documents and testimonies that reflect the collective memory of the country.

The exhibition begins on 2 June 1946, when Italian women took part in a national political vote for the first time, and follows the key milestones that marked the evolution of women’s rights and the transformation of Italian society. Themes explored include:

• universal suffrage and the contribution of the Women of the Constituent Assembly
• family law reform and the introduction of divorce
• equal rights in the workplace and access to professional careers
• the mobilisation of the feminist movement
• the recognition of sexual violence as a crime against the person.

Another central theme of the exhibition is the role of work in the process of women’s emancipation. The images document women’s gradual entry into professions that were traditionally closed to them and highlight their contribution to Italy’s economic and social development.

In the final section of the exhibition, a number of artists become protagonists of their own narratives, broadening the focus to contemporary artistic research through photographic works that reflect the evolution of visual language.

Enhancing the Intesa Sanpaolo Publifoto Archive and making it accessible to the public

Thanks to the work of the Intesa Sanpaolo Historical Archive, the photographs on display from the Publifoto Archive have been restored, digitised, catalogued and made available online for public access.

The Publifoto Archive, comprising approximately 7 million photographs, was acquired by Intesa Sanpaolo in 2015 and is being preserved and enhanced as a national cultural asset. The archive continues to represent a valuable resource for exploring the history of twentieth-century Italy.

Open from 26 September 2026 to 7 February 2027, the exhibition is accompanied by initiatives designed for different audiences, including guided tours for schools and cultural events open to the public.

Gallerie d’Italia-Milan, together with the museums in Turin, Naples and Vicenza, is part of Intesa Sanpaolo’s Gallerie d’Italia museum network.

For further information, please visit the Gallerie d’Italia website.

1.
1970, Milano, Piazza del Duomo. Fotografia di Gianni Berengo Gardin – Contrasto

2.
Simonetta Appolloni e Laura Lo Pieno, donne capostazione tra i binari a Milano Porta Garibaldi, 1967.
Fotografia di Carlo Fumagalli - Publifoto
Archivio Publifoto Intesa Sanpaolo

3.
Gli uffici della Omnia Pubblicità a Gossolengo (Piacenza), 1952.
Fotografia di Publifoto
Archivio Publifoto Intesa Sanpaolo

4.
Corteo delle donne per la pace a Milano, 10 aprile 1948.
Fotografia di Publifoto
Archivio Publifoto Intesa Sanpaolo

5.
Elezioni amministrative del 17 marzo 1946, a Massalengo, Lodi.
Fotografia di Publifoto
Archivio Publifoto Intesa Sanpaolo

6.
Immagine pubblicitaria per la lavatrice Castor, 1957.
Fotografia di Publifoto
Archivio Publifoto Intesa Sanpaolo