Riccardo Cordero – Ascent Trajectories

A dialogue between Baroque architecture and contemporary sculpture by Riccardo Cordero

From 7 November to 20 December 2026, the Coro della Maddalena of Alba hosts Traiettorie d'asilo, an exhibition curated by Guido Curto dedicated to Riccardo Cordero, artist of the Palio 2026.

Born in Alba and the protagonist of a long international career, Cordero returns to “artistically inhabit” his city with a selection of fifteen works, chosen specifically for the spaces of the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, a late Baroque masterpiece by the Turin architect Bernardo Antonio Vittone.

The exhibition establishes a dialogue between the Baroque architecture of the Maddalena and the sculptor's contemporary research. His compositions, many of which are made of Corten steel, unfold in space through free forms, movements, and energetic balances, interacting with the sinuous lines of the eighteenth-century building.

Many of the works exhibited in Alba are also inspired by the orbits of stars, planets, asteroids, meteors, and comets: ascending, dynamic forms that evoke a cosmic dimension and resonate particularly well with the character of the ancient church. Drawing remains the foundation of Cordero's work, the original element of his sculptural design.

Trained at theAlbertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin, where he graduated with honors in Sculpture in 1963 and where he later held the Chair of the School of Sculpture, Riccardo Cordero has exhibited throughout his career in Italy and in numerous countries around the world, participating, among other events, in the Venice Biennale and the Rome Quadrennial and creating numerous monumental works.