La Grecia a Roma (Greece in Rome)

The exhibition, with the eloquent title of La Grecia a Roma (Greece in Rome), hosted at the Capitoline Museums – Villa Caffarelli and curated by Eugenio La Rocca and Claudio Parisi Presicce, presents over 150 original Greek masterpieces that made ancient Rome shine.

Through the works on display among sculptures, reliefs, and archaeological finds, all original Greek - some exhibited for the first time - the exhibition narrates the encounter between two great civilizations, both at the foundation of Western culture, engaged in a dialogue that, over the centuries, shaped its aesthetics.The fascinating story begins with the foundation of Rome and extends through the centuries to the Imperial Age, highlighting the intensity with which Greek art spread deeply into Roman society: initially through trade and the importation of costly and refined artifacts, and later through conquests in the Eastern Mediterranean, which brought to Rome priceless masterpieces such as marble and bronze statues, engraved silver, splendid paintings, and sumptuous furnishings. All these works, often located in squares, public buildings, and gardens, completely transformed the face of the city, significantly contributing to the reshaping of Latin aesthetic and cultural models. Moreover, even in private spaces, Greek art was always synonymous with distinction and power.

Among the many masterpieces on display, the large Capitoline bronzes, exceptionally reunited, stand out, alongside important monuments such as the magnificent stele from the Abbey of Grottaferrata and the Niobids sculptures from the Horti Sallustiani, which were dispersed between Rome and Copenhagen. A highly symbolic return is represented by a female acroterial sculpture from the celebrated Renaissance collection of Cardinal Alessandro Peretti Montalto, sold over two centuries ago and now finally back on display in Rome. Also on display are previously unseen artifacts, such as the Attic ceramics recently discovered during archaeological excavations near the Colosseum and on public display here for the first time.

The exhibition is enhanced by a multimedia system with video projections that accompany visitors on an immersive journey of discovery into the past.

The exhibition benefits from the collaboration of prestigious international lenders, including the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Vatican Museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, as well as important Italian institutions including the Museo Nazionale Romano, the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, and the Archaeological Museum of Naples. The exhibition also features works from private collections, particularly the Fondazione Sorgente Group in Rome and the Al Thani Collection in Paris.

Promoted by Roma Capitale, the Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage, and organized by Zètema Progetto Cultura, this is the second event in the series The Great Masters of Ancient Greece, inaugurated by the exhibition Phidias and dedicated to the rediscovery of the protagonists of Greek art and their legacy in Roman and Western culture.

Photo: Wounded Niobid, Parian marble, 440-430 BC, Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek