From the dawn of time, the sky has brought fear, admiration and curiosity; in particular, the Moon, so dear to poets, writers, artists and lovers perhaps for its proximity, so close it can be seen with the naked eye, but also for its distance, so far away as to appear unreachable… at least until 21st July 1969 when it was “defiled” by mankind. For a long time it was portrayed as a femme fatale, inspiring many myths and legends in almost all cultures; it has inspired great adventures and fantastical and literary explorations especially those dating back to the 19th century: painters portray the romantic theme of the moonlight; the cinema, though silent, had already discovered science fiction which would then develop into a fortuitous genre; writers, starting with Jules Verne, let their imaginations run loose; and then cartoons, toys… Italia is home to one of the largest collection of these materials, owned by Torino-born lawyer Piero Gondolo della Riva, a large part of which is presented here as a “room of lunar wonders”. But the Moon has also played an important part in modern and contemporary art, in particular in painting: artists such as Chagall, Calder, Mirò, Casorati, Melotti, Ernst, Klein, Fontana, Rauschenberg continue to render it an important element in their works.

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SchoolsAbbonamento Musei holders ; children under 6 ; people with disabilities ; Torino+Piemonte Card owners ; Torino+Piemonte Card

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