Phidias at the Capitoline Museums

Phidias at the Capitoline Museums. November 24, 2023 to May 5, 2024.

The embodiment of Greek art at the height of its splendor, Phidias captivated the Romans first and the Renaissance later until he became the absolute icon of sculpture. The venue on Via Caffarelli will host the first monographic exhibition dedicated to the great Greek sculptor. More than 100 works, including archaeological finds, Greek originals and Roman replicas, and then paintings, drawings, manuscripts, some of them exhibited for the first time.

Divided into six sections, the Phidias exhibition at the Capitoline Museums plumbs the master’s work in its various aspects. From portraits to the grand design of the Parthenon, the symbolic site of classical Greece, to the colossal statues of Athena Parthenos and Zeus of Olympia, among the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Rare and valuable works dot the tour route, some of them for the first time outside their museum locations. Such is the case with two original fragments of the Parthenon frieze, an Hoplite (Greek soldier) and a young man with a bovine on loan from the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Of absolute value are the sculptures of horsemen and bearded men from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

The exhibition inaugurates a cycle of five events, “The Great Masters of Ancient Greece,” aimed at introducing the main protagonists of Greek sculpture. A very significant cycle in Rome from which very important evidence of Phidias’ activity comes. A path of his rediscovery from the Renaissance onward, through the precious Roman copies of original masterpieces mostly lost.

Also supporting visitors are multimedia installations and digital content. In the third section, dedicated to “The Parthenon and the Athena Parthenos,” a unique opportunity is offered to be transported back in time and relive a visit to the monument through the installation Phidias and the Parthenon. An interactive and immersive experience inspired by virtual and augmented reality models.