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Exhibitions | From 13/03/2009 to 11/07/2009

Memories of Antiquity in twentieth-century art

Memories of Antiquity in twentieth-century art

The discovery of universal aesthetic testimonies

The exhibition aims to illustrate how the art of antiquity is reflected in twentieth-century and present-day art. Paintings and sculptures from the Etruscans, the Classical Age, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance are compared with works of art by Picasso, Dalí, Modigliani, De Chirico, Soffici and Severini, Morandini and Carrà.

More than 130 works are on display, and the exhibition includes a series of interesting comparisons of applied arts; the glass manufactures by Ercole Barovier and Carlo Scarpa and the extraordinary pieces from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, the ceramics by Giò Ponti and those from the National Archaeological Museums of Florence and Rome.  

The exhibition intends to represent and communicate the innovative force, revolutionary impact and great expressiveness of twentieth-century art, juxtaposed with the Neoclassicism. It is a return to the origins of our history in search of universal aesthetic tokens. The return to the origins became a creative drive also for a generation of Italian artists. After the disruptive experiences of the turn of the century, Carrà, Severini, Soffici, De Chirico, Morandi, and Modigliani chose this road to reconnect with their roots and traditions. Even foreign artists like Salvador Dalí were influenced by the allure of our past.

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