Folle brings together 26 photographs that narrate the social and political transformations of the country through photojournalistic images shot from 1930 to 1980. Selected from the Archivio Publifoto Intesa Sanpaolo, which, with seven million images of news, politics, lifestyle, culture and sport offers an overview of Italy and its evolutions, the photographs capture various moments of social gathering.

The title Folle (Crowds) sets out to contribute in the search for the most authentic meaning of a word, whose most widespread interpretation today is negative, associated with the concept of the throng, while instead it could narrate the human need to take part, together, in historic transformations. The social distancing, which is so alien to our practices of coexistence and convivial contact, has prompted us to seek different types of Crowds gathered for events ranging from culture to sport, celebration to protest, from the everyday practice of travel to participation in sacred rituals, in an attempt to remember the sensation of being part of a great multitude.

The selected photographs show a variety of subjects, sometimes unexpected, observed in different situations and happy or dramatic moments in history, demonstrating that crowds can be orderly and peaceful, but also chaotic and menacing – protagonists of the social evolution of a country, or witnesses of glorious moments of success.

Folle (Crowds), curated by Ilaria Bonacossa, director of Artissima, and by Barbara Costa, in charge of the Historical Archives of Intesa Sanpaolo, will be on view until 12 February, 2021.

The physical exhibition with a special selection at GAM – Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea has been open to public from February 3 to 12, 2021.

The photographs in the exhibition Folle (Crowds) can also serve as inspiration for the participants in the Sunday Photo competition of La Stampa, the long-term media partner of Artissima, for which Ilaria Bonacossa is a member of the jury. Taking their cue from the images in the show and on view at the online platform, readers are invited to send their own shots to the editorial staff of La Stampa, coordinating the contest, which will select the finest images – in agreement with Artissima and Intesa Sanpaolo. Discover how to participate, visit the contest webpage: Contest Sunday Photo

The initiative Folle is part of a broader enhancement program within the Bank’s Progetto Cultura.