SPECIAL PROJECT

The great sculptor Antonio Canova died in Possagno, his birthplace, on October 13, 1822. Immense artist, father of Neoclassicism, and faithful servant of the Pontifical State, Canova was not only a celebrated and adored sculptor of principles and sovereigns but also a fundamental character for the cultural and political Vatican in the crucial years of the Napoleonic occupation and of the Reconstruction. The protagonist of the recovery of the artworks seized by France during the Napoleonic invasion at the end of the 1800s, Canova acted with great diplomatic finesse, extreme selflessness, and abnegation to the cause. In 1815, after making a will, he left for Paris ready to put his very life on the line in the name of the Holy Father Pius VII to bring back the many ancient and modern Vatican masterpieces, a precious testimony to universal art and faith. Canova was also director of the Vatican Museums, which he led with a breadth of vision, leading the institution into modernity.
 
In 2022-2023, the Vatican Museums intends to honor the occasion of the bicentennial of Canova’s death. His memory and work will involve a series of initiatives focusing on the different facets of his personality. An itinerary inside the Museums will highlight the artist’s sources of inspiration, such as his fascination with classical antiquities. The epicenter of the celebration will be the public opening of a new room entirely dedicated to Antonio Canova, which will make it possible to admire on permanent display the artist’s works that have hitherto not been visible. A new arrangement, located in the heart of the Museums’ itinerary, will exhibit the large group of Canova sculptures and casts preserved at the Vatican Museums.

TOTAL COST: € 80.011,80  ($ 78,203.53)