Exhibition extended until April 6, 2026!
Over thirty years after the death of the sculptor Renato Vanzelli, the Civic Museums of Padua dedicate a retrospective to the artist that traces his entire creative journey.
The exhibition, hosted at Palazzo Zuckermann from November 29, 2025, to April 6, 2026, was realized with the support of the Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo Foundation and the sponsorship of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the University of Padua.
The route, hosted at the Museum of Applied Arts, presents the famous bronze sculptures with which Vanzelli participated since the 1950s in significant events such as the Triveneto Art Biennale, the International Prize for Small Bronze and the Gubbio Metal Biennale.
Alongside the best-known works, the exhibition highlights for the first time a production that is still little known today, created by the sculptor between the 1950s and 1960s, a period in which Vanzelli was still strongly tied to the “Pietro Selvatico” Art Institute in Padua, where he had trained and where he taught engraving and chasing.
Completing the journey are works from the 1980s and 1990s, in which the sculptor gradually abandoned bronze to dedicate himself to “poor” materials such as wood, lead, silver, and wax, giving rise to a new cycle of wall works still based on three-dimensionality and geometric rigor.
Accompanying the retrospective is a docufilm by Pierantonio Tanzola that reconstructs the artistic and human story of the author, offering the public an additional and unprecedented tool for in-depth understanding.
Information
“Renato Vanzelli (1932 – 1993) Artist’s Studio”
Palazzo Zuckermann, corso Garibaldi 33, Padua
November 29, 2025 – April 6, 2026
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10 AM – 7 PM
Free entrance