Frigidaire, the cultural revolution on display in Rome

The Museo di Roma in Trastevere hosts, from March 19 to September 7, 2025, an exhibition dedicated to Frigidaire, the historic art, satire and culture magazine founded in 1980 by Vincenzo Sparagna, Stefano Tamburini, Andrea Pazienza, Tanino Liberatore, Filippo Scozzari and Massimo Mattioli. A publishing experience that has traversed the world of art, politics, music and comics with absolute freedom, leaving an indelible mark on the Italian and international cultural scene.

The exhibition, promoted by Roma Capitale and organized by Frigolandia under the curatorship of Vincenzo Sparagna, traces the history of Frigidaire through more than three hundred works, including iconic issues, covers, original plates, photographs and reports. An itinerary that recounts the graphic evolution of the magazine and its impact on social and cultural transformations from the 1970s to the present day.

An avant-garde without boundaries

Since its founding, Frigidaire has been distinguished by its radical and innovative approach. It was not a simple comic strip or satire magazine, but a multifaceted project that combined news and fiction, journalism and visual arts, experimentation and social denunciation. The group of artists and authors who animated its pages came from the experience of the weekly magazine Il Male, famous for its provocations and the invention of sensational fakes of Italian and foreign newspapers.

From that experience, Frigidaire broadened its horizon, welcoming talent from all over the world and developing an unmistakable style, straddling pop and underground, punk and avant-garde. A laboratory of ideas in which Tamburini’s graphics, Pazienza’s visionary stories, Scozzari’s fierce satire and Liberatore’s hyperrealist stroke redefined the language of comics and visual communication.

Maivistart and the myth of Frigoland.

One of the most fascinating elements of the exhibition is the presence of numerous works related toMaivista Art, a concept developed by Pazienza and Sparagna to define an art free of labels, capable of mixing genres and styles in an unpredictable way. A vision that found full expression in Frigidaire and related publications such as Cannibale, Il Male, Frìzzer, Tempi Supplementari, Vomito, Il Lunedì della Repubblica and La piccola Unità.

In 2005, Frigidaire ’s legacy found a physical home in Frigolandia, a project founded by Sparagna in Umbria, where the magazine continued its editorial and cultural activities. A true laboratory ofMaivist Art, which has kept the revolutionary spirit of the magazine alive to this day.

A return to the origins

The Museo di Roma in Trastevere is the ideal setting for this celebration, marking a return to the origins. It was in fact in the heart of Trastevere, on Via della Penitenza, that Il Male was born, the publication from which the creative nucleus of Frigidaire sprang.

Over the years, the project has gone through many phases: from newsstand distribution until 2017 to subsequent circulation through subscription and direct requests. Meanwhile, its impact has continued to be felt internationally, with translations in France, Sweden, Brazil, Japan and the United States. In 2017, Yale University acquired part of Frigidaire’s historical archive, recognizing its cultural and documentary value.

Practical information.

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (last admission one hour before closing). Closed Mondays and May 1.

Tickets: Full € 12.00 - Reduced € 9.50

Frigidaire, the cultural revolution on display in Rome

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