Indeed, Rome is first and foremost known for its ancient treasures, but since a few days, the Eternal City has added to this allure with a must-see exhibition that audaciously blends grand tradition with modernist excellence. We’re talking the Louise Bourgeois. Unconscious Memories, a showcase at the renowned Galleria Borghese which lays bare the relationship between ancient and modern art in the museum’s unique, opulent settings. Supported by iconic Roman fashion house FENDI as the main sponsor, the exhibition is organised by Cloé Perrone and curated by Geraldine Leardi and Philip Larratt-Smith, in collaboration with The Easton Foundation in New York City and Académie de France – Villa Medici.
Focusing on the significant contribution of Louise Bourgeois to sculpture and the deep connection of her artistic practice to Galleria Borghese, the exhibition interweaves the artist’s personal memories with those of the public museum. Bourgeois’ relationship with Italy and the Borghese collection had a profound influence on her creative work. Her encounter with the Borghese collection began when she studied art history at the Louvre Museum in Paris in the late 1930s, and further developed between 1967 and 1972, a period of time during which she visited Galleria Borghese to explore its treasures and worked in various workshops in Italy, including Pietrasanta and Carrara, producing a number of bronze and marble works.
Around 20 sculptures explore themes such as metamorphosis, memory and the expression of emotions and psychological states, and all in dialogue with the unique architecture of the museum and its collection. These themes are also explored by other artists in the Borghese collection, and are invigorated by seeing them through Bourgeois’ contemporary lens, offering a new perspective on the human experience. This is of course because the artist’s unusual forms, materials and scales express a wide range of emotions. On the occasion of the show, the Académie de France – Villa Medici is also presenting the artist’s work, entitled No Exit, which is situated in the venue’s Salon de lecture (on through Sep 15). © superfuture
Galleria Borghese
Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5 (Parioli)
00197 Rome
Telephone +39 06 67233753
Tue-Sun 9am-7pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
