"1950-1970. La grande arte italiana" aims to highlight the outstanding quality of the collections held by the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, and to spotlight the Gallery’s key role in shaping Italy’s modern and contemporary artistic heritage. Central to this was the active and visionary leadership of superintendent Palma Bucarelli, who forged close ties with the most important and innovative artists of that vibrant artistic era. This volume explores the origins of what can be described as a true “seismic artistic movement”—a dynamic and often confrontational encounter among the “new masters” of postwar Italian art. It retraces the roots of this groundbreaking period, showcasing the pivotal figures who would go on to gain international recognition as leading interpreters of contemporary art: from Giuseppe Capogrossi to Lucio Fontana, from Alberto Burri to Pino Pascali, from Piero Manzoni to Mario Schifano.