The Philosophy Library is hosting an exhibition and conference on philosopher, artist and critic Dino Formaggio (Milan, 1914 – Illasi, 2008), who taught Aesthetics at the University of Milan from 1979 to 1984. The initiative is a chance to learn more about the Dino Formaggio Collection, which is stored at the Philosophy Library and has recently been reorganised and catalogued.
The exhibition, titled Art Experience Thought, will open on 7 May 2026 at 16:00. Its goal is to retrace the intellectual and human journey of the philosopher through a selection of particularly representative documents. The materials on display outline the different phases of his philosophical development: from his formative years and civic engagement — marked by his encounter with Antonio Banfi and his involvement in the Resistance — to his long theoretical exploration; from his academic activity at the Universities of Padua and Milan, to his direct dialogue with artists, critics and intellectuals of the Twentieth century. The exhibition concludes with letters that offer a collective portrait of Dino Formaggio by his mentors, students, colleagues and friends.
On the same day at 18:00, the Fondazione Corrente will host a conference to remember Dino Formaggio through the voices of his students. The conference will be introduced by Elio Franzini (Professor of Aesthetics at the University of Milan), Andrea Pinotti (Head of the Department of Philosophy and Professor of Aesthetics) and Laura Frigerio (Head of the Philosophy Library). Their introductory remarks will be followed by contributions from Luca Natali (The Dino Formaggio Collection: a philosophical workshop and historiographical source), Gabriele Scaramuzza (Dino Formaggio in Padua), Liliana Barillaro and Giusy Bucci (On the way: the reordering and cataloguing of the Dino Formaggio Collection), Yuri Gallo (Author’s traces: the library and the philosopher) and Margherita Fontana (Dino Formaggio’s philosophy of art in augmented reality).
Please note that the conference will be in Italian.
The Dino Formaggio Collection was donated to the Philosophy Library in 2016 and includes the philosopher’s entire body of works, study texts, art catalogues, as well as numerous documents, letters, degree theses and photographs.
The exhibition can be visited from 7 to 28 May during the opening hours of the Philosophy Library (9:00-17:00).
