Prior to cutting the
inaugural ribbon of a new exhibition at the famed archaeological
site, Culture and Tourism Minister Dario Franceschini said that
"today another step has been taken for the rebirth of Pompeii".
'Pompeii and Europe from 1748 to 1943' includes two
exhibition areas: one at the Naples archaeological museum with
200 works from important Italian and foreign museums, and one in
the Pompeii amphitheater, with 20 casts and previously unseen
photos.
The exhibition will run through November 2.
Organizers call it a "true journey, grandiose and complex,
in which the ancient speaks to the modern, nature and
archaeology," aiming to show how "Pompeii with its buried ruins
and its classicism have fascinated artists across Europe for the
past two centuries".
Twenty casts are exhibited in the amphitheater of the
excavation site under a pyramid-shaped installation, bearing
witness to the final moments of life that day in 79 A.D. when
the city was devastated by the effects of the eruption of
Vesuvius.
The exhibition was sponsored by the Special
Superintendent's Office for Pompeii, Ercolano and Stabia and the
general directorate of the Grande Progetto Pompei, alongside the
Naples archeological museum, and was organized by Electa with
sponsorship from Expo Milano 2015. The design was by the
architect Francesco Venezia.
"It was another step for the rebirth of Pompeii," Minister
Franceschini said during the inaugural ceremony, stressing the
work done by the superintendent's office under Massimo Osanna
and by Grande Progetto Pompei general director Giovanni Nistri.
"Amid so much skepticism, diffidence and I would even say
hostility," Franceschini added, "active work has been done with
a collaborative team spirit."
In Naples the 200 works of art - ancient finds and modern
masterpieces - are exhibited in the Meridiana hall curated by
Massimo Osanna, Maria Teresa Caracciolo and Luigi Gallo.
The casts, beginning with those by Giuseppe Fiorelli -
located in the excavation site - have been restored and are part
of the 'Stolen from Death' section curated by Massimo Osanna and
Adele Lagi.
The 'Photography' show curated by Massimo Osanna, Ernesto
de Carolis and Grete Stefani instead includes many previously
unpublished shots that bear witness to the progress of the
excavations between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The building of the pyramid in the amphitheater was looked
askance at by some.
"The large 'Pyramid' in the arena of the Pompeii
amphitheater is an improvident use of an area with its own
historic identity known around the world," said the head of the
cultural heritage observatory, Antonio Irlando.
A catalog of the exhibition is available in Italian,
English and French, published by Electa and including
contributions from both Italian and foreign critics and
scholars.
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