L'enfant s'amuse

The painting of the Quirinale collection in Palermo for the exhibition on Ettore De Maria Bergler

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Bergler allestimento (2024) by Ettore De Maria BerglerQuirinale Palace

The Quirinale loan

L'enfant s'amuse, on loan from the Quirinale to Villa Zito in Palermo, is the protagonist of the exhibition “Ettore De Maria Bergler and the search for modernity”.

The exhibition traces the career of the Sicilian artist, from his beginnings to his arrival at Art Nouveau.

L’enfant s’amuse by Ettore De Maria BerglerQuirinale Palace

L'enfant s'amuse

Also known by the title of Maternità, the painting entered the royal collections in 1917 and is today part of the endowment of the Presidency of the Republic.


The painting is an important testimony to Bergler's approach to the French figurative culture of the BelleÉpoque.

This is revealed not only by the title, which refers to the affectionate exchange between a mother and her child, but by the very style of the painting

The soft and stringy brushstrokes, present above all in the lower part of the painting, occupied by linens and soft blankets, recall those of other painters active in the same context, such as Giovanni Boldini.

L’enfant s’amuse (2024) by Ettore De Maria BerglerQuirinale Palace

Ettore De Maria Bergler

Bergler (Naples 1850 - Palermo 1938) was an interesting protagonist of Italian art of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Trained in Naples under the guidance of Francesco Lojacono, whose important paintings are preserved in the Quirinale, developed a predilection for landscapes and portraits.

Mattarella inauguration villa zito (2024)Quirinale Palace

Villa Zito in Palermo

Reopened in June 2015 in the presence of President Mattarella, Villa Zito is one of the most important historical sites in Palermo.

Its precious heritage includes works by great artists including Francesco Lojacono, Renato Guttuso, Mario Sironi and Carlo Carrà.

Bergler allestimento (2024) by Ettore De Maria BerglerQuirinale Palace

Visit the exhibition

The exhibition on Bergler, at Villa Zito in Palermo, can be visited until 26 May.

Credits: Story

Photo of the De Maria Bergler installation: Fabio Savagnone

Credits: All media
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