"Metawork": Michelangelo Pistoletto at the Royal Palace of Caserta

From November 27 to June 30, the “Metawork” exhibition in the Grand Gallery explores the artist’s revolutionary reflections on art and society, offering a journey into the visionary concepts of “metamorphosis” and “interconnection.”

Over 60 works by Michelangelo Pistoletto (Biella, 1933) fill the halls of the Grand Gallery at the Royal Palace of Caserta.

The museum, part of the Ministry of Culture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, hosts one of Italy’s most prolific and influential contemporary artists, a key figure in the radical renewal of artistic language and a leading voice in Arte Povera.

The “Metawork” exhibition takes its name from the piece Metawork-United Portraits, presented for the first time during this event. Created using photographic portraits of eight citizens of Cittadellarte, it reconfigures them through an artificial intelligence program, facilitating the transition—central to Pistoletto’s work from his Mirror Paintings onward—from the individual dimension to the collective one.

The exhibition is produced by the Royal Palace of Caserta Museum and Opera Laboratori, in collaboration with Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto and Galleria Continua, offering a profound journey into the visionary concepts of “metamorphosis” and “interconnection” developed by the Biella-born artist.

Among the themes addressed is the relationship between art and spirituality, illustrated in Il tempo del giudizio (The Time of Judgment). This work, displayed in the western wing of the Royal Palace, takes the form of a temple uniting the major monotheistic religions—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—along with Buddhism. Each religion is represented by a symbolic element placed in front of a mirror: a kneeler, a prayer rug, and a Buddha statue.

Michelangelo Pistoletto’s art embraces dialogue and exchange. It represents an ever-evolving and expanding quest to restore the connection between artistic experience and the external world. Interaction and dialogue are at the core of many of his works, grounded in an aesthetic of relationship and participation. His aim is to break down the boundaries of the artwork, bringing art into life and life into art.

The exhibition is accessible with the Campania>artecard pass.