The exhibition focuses on the importance and values of one of the most emblematic paintings of the twentieth century, "Il Quarto Stato" (The Fourth Estate). The work that originally was part of the collection at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Milan, is now set to start the tour at the Museo del Novecento.
The painting is the result of Pellizza’s persistent sociocultural commitments, as well as his progressive refinement in painting techniques in a decade that stretches over the last years of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. The exhibition displays approximately forty works by Pellizza Da Volpedo, including drawings and paintings, and a life-size x-ray of the masterpiece. A book conceived as an exhibition catalogue and in-depth research on places, characters, composition and techniques complements the exhibition. The editor is Aurora Scotti Tosini, a leading authority on Pellizza Da Volpedo, and full professor of Architectural History at Politecnico di Milano.