Giovanni Segantini at the Marmottan Monet Museum: our photos from the exhibition on the painter of the Alps

The Marmottan Monet Museum in Paris shines a light on Giovanni Segantini, a master of Symbolism and Divisionism, with an exhibition focused on his Alpine landscapes, running from April 29 to August 16, 2026. More than 60 works on display invite visitors to rediscover a major Italian painter, immersed in nature, light and a spiritual quest.

Mountains as an inner horizon... The Musée Marmottan Monet devotes a major retrospective to Giovanni Segantini with the show entitled I Want to See My Mountains, running from April 29 to August 16, 2026. The first large-scale monographic exhibition in France dedicated to this important Italian painter surveys the work of a key figure in European Symbolism and Divisionism, spanning Alpine landscapes, the light of the peaks, and a spiritual quest.

Oil paintings, pastels, and drawings — over sixty works, complemented by a selection of around thirty works on paper from European collections — trace the journey of an artist who defies categorization and tragically died young in 1899. Once dreaming of showcasing his work to the Parisian public, this long-held aspiration is now being realized in a powerful symbol of remembrance through this exhibition, curated by Gabriella Belli and Diana Segantini.

The journey begins in the artist’s early days in Italy, before leading us through his evolution toward the Engadine Valley in Switzerland—a land he embraced as both refuge and source of inspiration. Here, Segantini doesn’t merely depict the mountains; he elevates them, transforming them into a silent stage for a dialogue between humanity and nature. Each canvas captures a unique light, the thickening air, and the tension between rural life and spiritual ideals. The landscapes seem to breathe and evoke reflection. Designed as a ascent, the exhibition is divided into ten sections, tracing the major milestones of his artistic journey—from Milan and Maloja to the heights of Mount Schafberg, where his life ended and his masterpiece was finally crystallized.

An artistic vision between realism and transcendence.

What sets Giovanni Segantini’s work apart is his ability to make the painted surface sing by layering brushstrokes in a divisionist fashion, creating light that feels almost vibratory. In his canvases, themes of motherhood, solitude, death, and redemption weave through landscapes where nature becomes a mirror of the human soul. In that sense, he fully embodies Symbolism, yet with a visual intensity that recalls the rigor of Realism. The exhibition, imagined as an ascent up a mountain, presents works at different elevations, much like hikers climbing toward the summit.

We stride through the exhibit without rushing, savoring the artworks as we go... In parallel with this retrospective, the museum also pays tribute to Anselm Kiefer, gathered under the title Voglio vedere le mie montagne. In a contemporary echo to Giovanni Segantini’s world, the artist likewise probes the landscape as a space of memory, suffering, and transcendence. Four works, shown at the end of the route, forge an original dialogue between two visions of the world, more than a century apart, yet united by the same fascination with the mountain as a mental space.

The Marmottan Monet Museum, the ideal setting for a long-awaited tribute

Located in the tranquil 16th arrondissement, the Marmottan Monet Museum, renowned for its Impressionist collection, is hosting a new exhibition organized in partnership with 24 ORE Cultura. The event is presented under the esteemed patronage of the Embassies of Italy and Switzerland. The exhibit shines a spotlight on an artist who remained relatively under the radar for the French public, despite being highly admired by critics during his lifetime. It also recovers a long-held, unfulfilled dream of showcasing his Triptych of Nature in Paris at the 1900 Universal Exposition.

With its alpine-inspired vibe, Je veux voir mes montagnes is more than just a scenic journey—it's an inward voyage, encouraging us to rethink our relationship with nature, solitude, and light. A rare moment where art and landscape come together, creating a space for reflection and contemplation.

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