1866-2026. Restorations to Rediscover the Art of Freedom
Udine Castle, Piazzale della Patria del Friuli, 1 - Udine

18 June – 13 September 2026
Tuesdays - Sundays 10:00 - 18:00
Last admission 17:30

To celebrate the 160th anniversary of the foundation of the Museo Friulano as well as of the incorporation of Udine and most of Friuli into the Kingdom of Italy (1866), the Museum of the Risorgimento presents a selection of artworks from its collections that, after many decades, are now once again accessible thanks to significant restoration works made possible by to the commitment of the Civic Museums of Udine, to the contributions of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region and with co-funding from the Friuli Foundation (Restoration Grant 2025).

The exhibition invites visitors to move beyond the traditional distinctions between “good” and “evil” or between “us” and “the others”, acknowledging the sacrifices, the family dynamics and hopes that influenced the lives of different figures who have shaped Friulian, Italian and European society up to the present day: conservatives, democrats, Austrian loyalists, federalists, centralists, Catholics, religious minorities, Masons, anti-clericals, monarchists and republicans.

Along the route, the portraits of some of the young Friulian emigrants who died in the name of Freedom and the Unification of Italy invite us to reflect on how, during the Risorgimento, the ideals drove entire generations to emigrate and to sacrifice themselves. The portrait of the venetian jailer of Silvio Pellico commemorates the theme of the political repression and his stop in Udine during his transfer toward the harsh prison of Spielberg, as recounted in his memoir My Prisons (Le Mie Prigioni). The collection of Austro-Hungarian postcards from the First World War, instead, represents a rare testimony to the use of propaganda in shaping public opinion under Habsburg rule.

The portraits of the Viennese rulers, who governed Friuli with an iron fist, are placed in dialogue with those of several Friulian Risorgimento patriots and key figures of the Italian Revolution, such as King Victor Emmanuel II, Garibaldi, and Pope Pius IX, called the last ‘Pope King’. There is also no shortage of elaborate political allegories. Alongside several painted portraits, drawings, lithographs, and rare oleographs are on display: these are coloured lithographs mounted on canvas and finished with oil or watercolour, then framed. The lower middle classes, when they could not afford oil-painted portraits and allegories, used them to decorate their drawing rooms, expressing their patriotism and political ideals.
Some etchings remember renowned war episodes that occurred in Friuli, like the Battle of Tagliamento (Battaglia del Tagliamento) in 1797. Some pictures also tell the evolution of Udine under Austrian rule: particularly notable is the militarisation of the Castle Hill area, transformed into “Fort of San Biagio” between 1848 and 26 July of 1866, when the Austrians withdrew from the city of Udine.

Remarkable coats of arms reveal to us how, during the 19th century, various powers that succeeded one another in Friuli carefully cultivated their public image in detail.

In Udine, members of the European upper class also stayed while travelling to the court of Vienna or to the centres of the various Italian states controlled by the Habsburgs before Unification. In contrast to this elite was the ‘Friulian Society of Veterans and Former Combatants of the “Fatherland’s Battles”, an institution that brought together activists from different social backgrounds and political affiliations in the transmission of Risorgimento memories, also thanks to donations and historical deposits that enriched the Museum’s collections.

The exhibition concludes with a video that recounts, through the interviews of the restorers, the most important scientific discoveries that came out from the restoration works on these artworks: from the restorations also brought to light new hypotheses regarding attribution and interpretation to be further explored in future studies.

Thanks to the collaboration between Institutions, associations, foundations and professionals it is now possible to rediscover this relevant historical, artistic and social heritage.

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