“OP&RA” by Manlio Chieppa

“OP&RA” Exhibition by Manlio Chieppa

Bari, May 6 – June 6, 2026
Opening: Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 5:30 PM

The Museo Civico di Bari inaugurates on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 5:30 PM the exhibition “OP&RA”, a showcase dedicated to the painter and engraver Manlio Chieppa (Bari, 1941), one of the most relevant figures in the Puglian art scene between the 20th century and contemporaneity.

The exhibition, visitable until June 6, 2026, presents a wide cycle of recent works and represents an important opportunity to explore the research of an artist who has significantly contributed to defining the visual identity of the territory.

Patronages and Speakers

The exhibition enjoys the patronage of:

  • Comune di Bari

  • Città Metropolitana di Bari

  • Università degli Studi di Macerata

  • FAI Puglia

  • Ordine dei Giornalisti di Puglia

  • Parco Letterario “Formiche di Puglia – Tommaso Fiore”

  • Millenari di Puglia

At the opening, Mayor Vito Leccese and Culture Councillor Paola Romano of the Comune di Bari will speak, along with other cultural figures.

“In Chieppa’s research, the Puglian Landscape emerges powerfully as not only a visual but also symbolic protagonist of our territory: olive trees, true custodians of collective memory, become a powerful metaphor for history and community, but also a warning regarding today’s environmental fragilities. The Museo Civico di Bari once again confirms itself as a vital place for confrontation and dialogue, maintaining a strong connection with the city’s tradition and history.”
— Vito Leccese, Mayor of Bari

Exhibition Content

“OP&RA” gathers a corpus of works developed around the theme of landscape and memory of places, with particular attention to the Murgia territory. Through a material and incisive expressive language, Manlio Chieppa investigates the relationship between man and nature, delivering an intense vision deeply rooted in the tradition of “peasant civilization”.

The exhibition itinerary includes:

  • 35 works created in the last three years, in mixed techniques on faesite and limestone slabs, conceived as narrative stelae

  • 25 Artist’s Cards from the cycle Olivi e oleastri, terre e contrade di Puglia (Olive Trees and Oleasters, Lands and Countrysides of Puglia)

  • Selection of woodcuts and etchings

  • Iconic works such as Giravento col gallo, il sole e la mezzaluna d’Oriente (Weather vane with rooster, the sun, and the Oriental crescent moon) and Gli uliveti come Guernica nella disperante bellezza (The olive groves like Guernica in desperate beauty)

Artistic Project

In recent decades, Chieppa’s research has focused on rediscovering the Puglian landscape, observed in its most authentic forms: ravines, gullies, dry stone walls, olive groves, and Mediterranean scrub. The pictorial mark, energetic and material, returns the strength of the land and the memory etched in places, transforming natural materials and fragments into symbolic elements laden with meaning.

The landscape, today marked by phenomena such as the spread of Xylella and the impact of energy plants, becomes an object of critical reflection. In this sense, art configures itself as an active testimony and tool for awareness, capable of questioning the present and sensitizing the public.

Practical Information

  • Hours: Monday-Friday 9:30 AM-6:30 PM; Saturday, Sunday, and holidays 9:30 AM-1:30 PM

  • Ticket: Full €5.00 | Reduced €3.00 (exhibition included in museum visit)

  • Booking: Required only for groups >10 visitors

Museo Civico di Bari – A place of dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity.