Miriam Cahn – Ciò che mi guarda (What Looks at Me): through Sunday, November 15, 2026

The retrospective «Miriam Cahn - Ciò che mi guarda» (What Looks at Me) at MACRO (Via Nizza 138, 00198 Rome) is open from June 11 to Sunday, November 15, 2026. In the museum's main hall, of about 1,400 square meters, more than 130 works by the Swiss artist are on view.

Updated November 6, 2026.

The event

Miriam Cahn, born in Basel in 1949, is recognized as one of the most urgent voices in international contemporary art. For over half a century her work has interwoven feminism, the body, politics and memory, far from market trends. Attention has grown in recent years, from the 2022 Venice Art Biennale to shows at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, but a broad retrospective was still missing in Italy.

The project, promoted by the Culture Department of Roma Capitale and the Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, is curated by the museum's artistic director Cristiana Perrella and covers the whole career, from the late 1970s to the most recent works. The works, mostly paintings, drawings and pastels, do not follow a chronological order but are grouped in thematic cores: the female body, violence, war, desire and the erotic dimension as an act of resistance.

A central element is the «room installations», an exhibition mode Cahn has developed since the 1980s: each installation corresponds to a specific cycle of works, designed to interact within a precise spatial configuration. MACRO presents «Herumliegen» and «Familienraum».

«Herumliegen», made after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is a visceral, immediate response to current wars; the German title evokes lying around, being scattered, and thus the image of mass death and abandoned bodies. «Familienraum» gathers 12 oil paintings and 4 drawings made over more than a decade, from 1996 to 2009, and looks at memory, affection and private geographies, with abstract portraits of relatives and visions of inner landscapes.

Where it takes place: MACRO

MACRO, the contemporary art museum of Roma Capitale, is at Via Nizza 138. In the Salario district the museum hosts the 2026 exhibition season and other shows, including Museum of the Everyday. For other listings see the MACRO page.

Practical information

• Dates: from June 11 to Sunday, November 15, 2026.
• Venue: MACRO, Via Nizza 138, 00198 Rome.
• Hours: Tuesday to Friday 12 to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Monday; last entry 30 minutes before closing.
• Tickets: online purchase and information on the museum's website; telephone 06 696271.
• Getting there: use the ATAC route planner.

Frequently asked questions about Miriam Cahn - Ciò che mi guarda (What Looks at Me)

How many works are on display?

More than 130, in the museum's main hall.

Who is the curator?

Cristiana Perrella, artistic director of MACRO.

Which room installations are shown?

«Herumliegen» and «Familienraum».

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