Palazzo Citterio hosts a major exhibition dedicated to Giovanni Gastel (1955 - 2021), one of the most important figures in contemporary Italian photography. The exhibition brings together more than 250 images spanning his entire career, from fashion and still life to portraits and advertising campaigns that shaped the visual imagination of entire generations. The exhibition does not follow a chronological order, but instead guides visitors on a more intimate and poetic journey, designed to reveal Gastel’s inner world. Alongside the photographs, personal objects and working tools are displayed, as well as - for the first time - his writings and poems, key elements for understanding the depth of his vision. Gastel transformed photography into an elegant and instantly recognizable language, capable of combining rigor with lightness, formal precision with irony. He was among the first photographers in Italy to experiment with digital techniques as early as the 1990s, without ever abandoning craftsmanship or meticulous attention to the image. His photographs do more than simply show: they tell stories, suggest emotions, and turn fleeting moments into something timeless. The exhibition is also a tribute to the deep bond between Gastel and Milan, the city that shaped his style and that he portrayed like no other, with a gaze that is both sophisticated and deeply human. It is an opportunity to discover - or rediscover - an artist who made beauty accessible, intense and surprisingly close.
