In Cortona, time becomes art: Franco Fedeli's "Accendo l'ora" opens

Cortona is getting ready to welcome, from 5 September to 31 October 2026, "Accendo l'ora" ("I Light Up the Hour"), a solo exhibition by Franco Fedeli held across the spaces of Palazzo Casali and the MAEC. Open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with free admission, the show brings to the city sculptures, paintings and installations by one of the most original and visionary artists on the contemporary Tuscan scene.

In brief:

• Artist: Franco Fedeli
• Exhibition: "Accendo l'ora"
• Dates: 5 September – 31 October 2026
• Venue: Cortona, Palazzo Casali, MAEC
• Hours: every day, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Admission: free
• Audience: suitable for everyone

An artist between painting, sculpture and poetry

Born in Arezzo in 1951 and trained at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Franco Fedeli has spent decades building a personal, multidisciplinary language that spans painting, sculpture, poetry, photography and collecting. Described by many as "an alchemist of the unconscious," Fedeli blends images, words and objects into an aesthetic universe suspended between dream, memory and symbol.

From the blue of his sculptures to dreamlike installations

His body of work ranges from large, visionary, scholarly-brushed canvases to wooden sculptures dominated by an intense blue — a chromatic signature running through much of his output — up to full-scale environmental installations. These evoke a dreamlike, surreal dimension, drawing on the unconscious and an aesthetic of wonder rooted in the Renaissance yet speaking a thoroughly contemporary language. In the 1990s, Fedeli developed the concept of "dynamic sculpture," composing wooden mannequins, antique objects and fragments of memory into theatrical settings that are at once intimate and unsettling.

From the Venice Biennale to major curated exhibitions

Fedeli's practice extends beyond creating his own work to curating and staging exhibitions. He took part in the 54th Venice Biennale, Italian Pavilion, in 2011, and has curated shows such as "Regard – Sguardo sull'arte" (Palazzo Chianini Vincenzi, 2014) and "Avanguardie – Le sculture dinamiche" (Casa Museo Ivan Bruschi, 2015), placing his own work in dialogue with 20th-century masters such as Picasso, Redon and Severini.

Where to stay

For anyone travelling to Cortona to see "Accendo l'ora" at Palazzo Casali and the MAEC, Villa Santa Margherita is the ideal base: just steps from the historic centre, it offers a peaceful stay surrounded by greenery, and is a convenient starting point for reaching both the museum and the town's other landmarks.

Not to be missed

Between blue sculptures, dreamlike installations and a path that weaves together ancient and contemporary art, "Accendo l'ora" gives Cortona two months in which time, for once, can truly be lit up.