From 5th February to 25th May 2014 the Special Department for the historical, artistic and ethno--‐anthropological heritage and museums of the city of Rome, chaired by Daniela Porro, presents the exhibition Giacometti. La Scultura, curated by Anna Coliva and located in the halls of Galleria Borghese.

Under the high patronage of the President of the Republic, the exhibition is promoted by the Ministry for cultural affairs and tourism and organised and produced by Arthemisia Group. Curated by Anna Coliva and Christian Klemm, a distinguished scholar of Giacometti’s work and the author of the most important monographs on the artist, the exhibition will bring to Rome the undisputed and dramatic art of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

Villa Pinciana, a noble setting for numberless masterpieces, is by definition the favoured location for sculpture, thanks to its collection featuring sublime examples of Greek and Roman times, the Renaissance, the Baroque and the neoclassicism.

The destination of this journey through the centuries is the sculptural interpretation of the human figure in the 20th century epitomised by the artistic work of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century: Alberto Giacometti.

The desire to explore the tragic of modern sculpture compared to classical antiquity has arisen from an investigation on Giacometti’s poetics, which was strongly emblematic of a century when great political, historical and cultural turmoil took place. The exhibition curators chose to explore the way in which the artists’ vision changes when it tackles the representation of the human being.

The exhibition is therefore an opportunity to explore the artist – a visionary, oneiric, surrealist figure that left an unforgettable mark in art – and above all to show his art “conversing” with the masterpieces on display in the Galleria: the white, curvy shape of Femme couchée qui ręve (1929) in which Canova’s Paolina (1805/1808) can be glimpsed, whose face is mirrored by the Tęte qui regarde (1928) on the other side; the heavy step of the Homme qui marche (1947), echoing Aeneas’ weary step under Anchises’ weight (1619); the Femme qui marche (1932/1936), as dark and mysterious as the basalt sphinxes in the Egyptian hall; the unstable balance of the Homme qui chavire (1950), off--‐axis and on the verge of losing its balance like Bernini’s David (1623/1624).

In the Galleria setting, the 40 exhibited works --‐ bronzes, plaster works and drawings --‐ release the burning energy of Giacometti’s art, which investigates the lively depth of his subjects by carving their soul until the human figure is “stripped to the bone”: this is the tragic modernity conveyed to visitors, who will perceive the way in which Giacometti’s sculptures create around them the volumetric halo of an immaterial frame, invisible yet perceivable.

Galleria Borghese
Piazzale del Museo Borghese, 5
Rome 00197 Italy
Ph. +39 06 8413979
www.galleriaborghese.it

Opening hours
Tuesday - Sunday
From 8.30am to 7.30pm