Queen exhibition in Bologna features 1986 Magic Tour memorabilia

A new exhibition titled ‘QUEEN. The Last Tour’ is opening at the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica in Bologna, Italy. The showcase focuses on the band’s historic 1986 Magic Tour, which served as their final tour with Freddie Mercury.

Curated by Pascal Casadei van Raamsdonk, the exhibition features 37 large-format photographs by Torleif Svensson. These images provide behind-the-scenes and onstage perspectives of the band’s performances, including the final concert at Knebworth Park on August 9, 1986, which drew approximately 120,000 spectators. The display also includes previously unseen personal items belonging to Freddie Mercury, such as instruments, stage costumes, and accessories.

The exhibition draws thematic connections between the band’s music and European operatic traditions, noting the links between ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and works like Rossini’s ‘The Barber of Seville’ and Mozart’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro,’ both of which are represented in the museum’s permanent collection.