Exhibition - Roma Aeterna
By Mariam Chanishvili
Monday, December 16
Roma Aeterna - Masterpieces of Roman Sculpture from the Dino and Ernesta Santarelli Foundation, the exhibition opening took place on December 10 at D. Shevardnadze National Gallery. The event was accompanied by the Farewell reception of Italian Ambassador Antonio Bartoli.
After an exquisite antique mosaic exhibition, the capital of Georgia is hosting Roma Aeterna until February 29.
The National Gallery of Georgia is displaying 33 sculptural works that illustrate perfectly the stages of sculpture's artistic or stylistic development from the Roman Republic to the era of neoclassicism.
"The visitor will have the opportunity to see works of art from the 1st century BC to XVIII century, get acquainted with the diversity of materials of the time and discover the eternal charm of the" World Capital” (Caput Mundi), portraits of Roman Emperors and the characters of the theology or the main figures of Christianity," explained Italian Ambassador Antonio Enrico Bartoli.
The collection of the Santarelli family resurrects a millenary Roman tradition that spread in the Eternal City during the Renaissance and can be traced back to a custom that was well established among the Roman aristocracy during the Imperial Age as a need for decorum and social ostentation, which included the display of statues in private residences, mostly consisting of copies of Greek originals.
These works have been selected to show the persistence of ancient heritage, as the title itself suggests: Everlasting Rome.
The exhibition is part of the program "Vivere ALL'italiana" and features exhibitions held over the past two years (including Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian and other Renaissance artists).
"Vivere all’italiana" is the innovative integrated promotion strategy developed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Mibact and Mise, to revive the culture and then the Italian economy in the world.
This event is the result of close cooperation between the institutions of the two countries. From the Italian side, the organisers are Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Embassy of Italy in Tbilisi and "Dino and Ernesta Santarelli Foundation," Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia and National Museum of Georgia. The exhibition is held in Georgia in cooperation with Italian company Glocal Project Consulting.
