A new diffuse exhibition on Canova at the Vatican Museums

Vatican City - On Tuesday, 24 October, the Vatican Museums Directorate will open a major exhibition entitled Antonio Canova negli Musei Vaticani. This project is designed to pay tribute to the famous Italian sculptor who realized major works and also held key positions in the papal collections since-superintendent and director. It is a varied contribution especially in recovering the arts that had been lost during the Napoleonic campaigns. It needs a multifaceted presentation.

This exhibition project was the result of the Canova closure, 2022-2023, with these factors; he is in charge of the 17th-18th Century Art Department. The initiative saw the direct involvement of Barbara Jatta as the director and is set up in different sections across the Vatican Museums to give the guests a once in a lifetime opportunity to view a wide range of Canova's works that highlight his contribution and influence in the world of art during his era and also bring out his personality and mastery.

Ladies' Hall

It also offers the opportunity to open the room to the public, where Canova worked, creating his pieces, sketches, and plaster casts along with the works of other artists related to him like Giuseppe De Fabris and Cincinnato Baruzzi. This room has always been considered amongst the most beautiful in the Vatican Museums and was never visited. It was built by Pope Paul V Borghese from 1608 to 1609; the very same pontiff commissioned Guido Reni to fresco the ceiling with the Pentecost, the Transfiguration, and the Ascent of Christ into Heaven. Ornate wall decorations evoke an atmosphere of the 19th century that goes well with the masterpieces of Canova.

Room XVII of the Vatican Art Gallery

Mostly the Musei Lavorano Works Museum exhibition programs, this event tries to re-create Canova’s mood in his sculptor ‘Roman studio’, born in 1783 situated between Via delle Colonnette and Via di San Giacomo today named Via Antonio Canova. The studio became important for Grand Tourists, the diplomats-aristocrats-intellectuals of the time intermingled with the aspiring sculptors seeking essential teachings by the Maestro to thread one's way through the labyrinthine ways of Roman artistry.

There is also a model on display, showing Canova’s Studio, where the master collected ancient fragments of Roman sculptures and architectural details to integrate them into the main and side elevations of the structure. This was to prove how much Canova valued antiquity and the commitment he had to safeguard and preserve artistic heritage. Further on, there is a bust of Canova by Antonio d’Este and a ceramic tondo with a portrait of Canova by Maestro Luigi Ontani, who at present works in one of the rooms in Canova’s studio.

The exhibition tour winds its way through various sections of the Vatican Museums, where along with the works of the artist, participants will find a set of informative panels exploring in depth the themes and subjects close to the Master of Possagno's heart.

Perseus Cabinet

Perseo, massimo sfondo del Cortile Ottagono ed eseguito d’iniziativa dal Canova tra la fine del 1800 e l’inizio del 1801, rappresenta l’eroe della mitologia greca. Canova sembra affrontare il mito in modo scherzoso, presentando l suo eroe che, inanellato da padroneggiare lo sguardo vittorioso sull’orrendo eddài sua Medusa-vittima,è statuadipesodayitelistperquest per monito con il volto di Medusa. Accanto a lui posano le celebri statue dei Pugilatori, Creugante e Damasseno, ispirati da un episodio menzionato da Pausania nel suo‘Periegesis of Greece’, proprio come le aveva pensate Canova, posti uno di fronte all’altra.

The Chiaramonti Gallery

Since the early 19th century, this Gallery was designed to house and complement the papal sculpture collections following Napoleon's requisitions. Under the careful guidance of Canova, and thanks also to his valued assistant sculptor Antonio D'Este, the house offers us a series of masterpieces. Along with numerous other sculptures, those brought from the Vatican Palaces and the Quirinale gardens made the number swell to around 1,100 artifacts. The general view of the Gallery maintains the antique taste that prevailed in the 18th century and was a real tribute to archaeology as a science in contemporary times.

New Halls

Architect Raffaele Stern built the construction to house the ancient sculptures, which were a part of the papal collections back then. This is the area where Canova proved to focus on total harmony, creating a perfect conversation between the ancient and the modern. When one walks through the Vatican Museums, they should stop for a minute in this gallery: coming to realize that the Braccio Nuovo is the ultimate coherent homage our civilization has given to Antiquity, bathed in silvery light flowing from the skylights.