WWF Italia. Rivoluzione Naturale

A journey spanning six decades through themes, media and forms of expression that have shaped a culture of nature based on knowledge, respect and responsibility. The free exhibition, held in the corner space and the outdoor courtyard of MAXXI, celebrates the first 60 years of WWF Italy, recounting how the organization has transformed ecology from a concern for the few into a collective heritage, developing a new language capable of engaging citizens, institutions, businesses and the cultural sector.

This cultural revolution stemmed from a single individual’s act. In 1963, Fulco Pratesi – an architect, journalist, author, illustrator and former hunter – was “struck” by an encounter with a mother bear and her cubs in the forests of Anatolia, Turkey. On his return to Italy, he sold his guns, bought a camera and, together with a group of nature-loving friends, founded WWF Italy. That radical shift in perspective led to the creation of the first Oasis, funded through private fundraising at a time when Italy did not yet have a Ministry of the Environment and national parks did not exist.

Drawing on Pratesi’s original notebooks, the exhibition traces the history of WWF Italy through a narrative of images and words: from the Panda Club of 1971, which has brought several generations of children closer to nature, to the historic covers of “Panda” magazine; from the “concerts” of sirens, whistles and megaphones protesting against hunting to campaigns for clean seas and forests, with the help of major pop personalities such as Piero Angela, Raffaella Carrà, the Pooh and Sting, to name but a few. A journey in which scientific rigour and popular culture have come together without ever becoming confused with one another, but rather reinforcing each other.