The exhibition

Born from a prestigious international collaboration with the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and curated by Francesca Cappelletti and Frits Scholten, this extraordinary exhibition celebrates the power of art and transformation within one of the most breathtaking settings in the world. At the heart of the display is Publius Ovidius Naso’s Metamorphoses, the epic poem that shaped the visual imagination of the Western world. The exhibition explores the concept of change as a universal law, taking visitors on a fascinating journey through immortal myths, divine passions, and human frailties. Over the centuries, Ovid’s tales have provided painters and sculptors with an inexhaustible source of inspiration. The exhibition pathway also analyzes the phenomenon of the Ovide moralisé (the medieval rewriting of the text), which is fundamental to understanding how myths were interpreted and depicted during the Renaissance. From Renaissance Masters to Bernini: the selection of masterpieces on display is simply breathtaking. Visitors can admire an incredibly rich timeline of art, spanning from the genius of Renaissance and Baroque masters like Michelangelo, Titian, Correggio, and Rubens, to the Classicism of Poussin. The exhibition also embraces modernity, featuring iconic works by legendary artists such as Rodin and Brancusi. However, the real highlight of the exhibition is its dialogue with the museum’s permanent collection. The absolute masterpieces by Gian Lorenzo Bernini housed in the Gallery—such as the world-renowned sculptural groups Apollo and Daphne and The Rape of Proserpina—are cast in a vibrant new light, reaffirming how central Ovidian myth remains to European culture. This is far from a mere location; it is an intrinsic bond. Villa Borghese itself, commissioned “outside Porta Pinciana” by Cardinal Scipione Borghese to house his immense art collection, was designed to blend architecture, myth, and art into a single, cohesive symbolic system inspired precisely by Ovid’s stories.

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