In Abano Terme on display the female universe in the photographs of the Magnum agency from the postwar period to today

From March 22 to September 21, 2025, the Villa Bassi Rathgeb Museum in Abano Terme will host Women Power. The Female Universe in the Photographs of the Magnum Agency from Postwar to the Present, a major exhibition dedicated to the representation of women in contemporary photography. Curated by Walter Guadagnini and Monica Poggi, the exhibition brings together shots from the Magnum Photos agency to narrate the journey of women’s emancipation over the past seventy years, in an interweaving of stories, faces and social contexts. The project is in continuity with the reflection initiated by the museum on the cultural and social transformations of the female figure, already addressed in the previous exhibition Donna Musa Artista, dedicated to Cesare Tallone’s 19th-century portraits. Women Power broadens the discourse, shifting the focus to photography and an international perspective, with images spanning different eras and geographies.

The exhibition is produced by CAMERA - Centro Italiano per la Fotografia in collaboration with Magnum Photos and promoted by the City of Abano Terme - Museo Villa Bassi Rathgeb, with the support of CoopCulture. The exhibition is divided into six thematic nuclei, analyzing the role of women in the family sphere, the process of growth and identity construction, the influence of myths of beauty and fame, engagement in political battles and participation in wartime conflicts. The images on display come from the works of some of Magnum’s most prominent agency photographers, including Inge Morath, Eve Arnold, Olivia Arthur, Myriam Boulos, Bieke Depoorter, Nanna Heitmann, Susan Meiselas, Lúa Ribeira, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Marilyn Silverstone and Newsha Tavakolian. These are established authors flanked by young contemporary photographers who are able to return, through their lenses, a multifaceted analysis of the female condition in different historical and geographical contexts.

The result is a dialogue between generations and styles, in which the images mirror the challenges faced by women in recent centuries. From iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe to shots of FARC fighters in Colombia, each selected photograph represents a tile in a complex mosaic, in which intimate moments and moments of protest coexist, faces marked by struggle and bodies that become symbols of resistance. In addition to the presence of the great women photographers, Women Power also includes images by masters of photography such as Robert Capa, Bruce Davidson, Elliott Erwitt, Rafal Milach, Paolo Pellegrin, and Ferdinando Scianna, whose works document with a careful and sensitive eye the condition of women and the battles for the affirmation of women’s rights.

A central aspect of the exhibition is the investigation of the relationship between the female body and representation, a crucial theme in the history of images and feminism. The selected shots depict women in their everyday life, in private moments and in public contexts, restoring a powerful and authentic vision of femininity. Their presence in the frame, the postures assumed and the situations immortalized become tools for the narration of a collective story, in which the single subject becomes the spokesperson for a broader struggle.

Accompanying the exhibition is a catalog edited by Walter Guadagnini and Monica Poggi, published by Dario Cimorelli Editore, which offers critical insights into the works on display and the role of photography in documenting the path of women’s emancipation.

In Abano Terme on display the female universe in the photographs of the Magnum agency from the postwar period to today

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