Stadiums. Architecture and myth: when sports becomes a collective narrative

A new perspective on stadiums, a mirror of society

With the exhibition Stadiums. Architecture and Myth, the MAXXI in Rome - through the Department of Architecture and Contemporary Design directed by Lorenza Baroncelli - carries out a cultural operation of rare depth. For the first time in Italy, a major exhibition investigates the stadium not only as a container for sporting events, but as urban and symbolic space, capable of narrating the changes in society.
Curated by Manuel Orazi, Fabio Salomoni, and Moira Valeri, the exhibition, open until October 26, 2025, offers an anthropological and architectural interpretation of these structures, considered true "secular cathedrals" of our time.

The journey: from the Panathinaiko stone to the LED lights of the Allianz Arena

The exhibition, designed by Lorenzo Bini from Binocle studio, unfolds in a chronological journey rich in historical references and contemporary visions. The entrance captivates the viewer with Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait (2006), an intense video installation by Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno. From there, the path opens up to iconic models such as the Allianz Arena by Herzog & de Meuron, next to a real metal stand designed to host public events and a reading room.

The narrative begins with classical archetypes – the Panathinaiko in Athens and the Colosseum – and then moves through the nineteenth-century revival and the invention of the modern stadium with Archibald Leitch, up to Le Corbusier and his stadium of 100,000. The visitor is guided through a sequence of models, projects, and drawings that showcase the evolution of sports facilities, blending technical innovation with symbolic significance.

Italian stadiums, urban transformations, and new scenarios

Ample space is dedicated to Italian stadiums, central to deep reflections on the theme of urban regeneration. From the glory of Italia '90 – featuring projects by Renzo Piano, Gregotti, and Studio Celli – to the photographs by Stefano Graziani and Filippo Romano that critically depict the stadiums of Naples, Trieste, Messina, and Udine. A particular focus analyzes the transformation of these facilities into objects of territorial marketing, often decentralized, private, and shaped according to efficiency and safety logics, leading to the transformer stadium, multifunctional and technological.

The stadium as a political, emotional, and cultural space

At the heart of the exhibition are the five anthropological islands that explore the relationship between the stadium, the city, and the spectator. Emotions, rituals, conflicts, collective identities: the stadium emerges as a stage for social and political life. A mosaic of stories ranging from the first sports radio broadcast in 1928 to the tragedy of Heysel, from the Manifesto for Italy '90 by Alberto Burri to artistic and photographic performances by Luigi Ghirri, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Olivo Barbieri, Takashi Homma, Bruno Munari, and Tato.

Art and Architecture to narrate contemporaneity

In addition to architecture, it is art that offers a lateral and poetic view of the stadium. Historical and contemporary works reflect the ritual of the crowd, the power of the sporting gesture, the complexity of a place full of tensions and meanings. Closing the exhibition is the powerful video installation San Siro (The roots of violence) by Yuri Ancarani, which shows the behind-the-scenes of football as a social and spectacular machine.

A catalog and a program rich in insights

The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalog published by Franco Cosimo Panini, with essays, interviews, and unpublished photographs. There are also meetings and screenings, with exceptional guests such as Fabio Cannavaro, Pierluigi Collina, John Foot, and Riccardo Cucchi, and a film program in collaboration with Fondazione Cinema per Roma.