An exhibition on Giacomo Manzù and a collateral ‘contest’, a design competition: Palazzo Ripetta opens to the public, which showcases not only his extraordinary art collection but also an exhibition dedicated to the sculptor, author of some of the greatest masterpieces of contemporary art. Palazzo Ripetta opens to the public as part of Open House, the Roman event that every year opens the doors of hundreds of buildings usually closed to the public. With a selected choice of works, the exhibition revolves around a ‘Cardinal’, an iconic figure in the Master’s work; but it retraces the sculptor’s entire artistic career through the themes that were dear to him.
Bronzes, a rare etching, an extraordinary ‘Bust of Inge’ in resin and plaster, a portrait of the Master’s muse, his much-loved wife, Inge, will be on display. The exhibition is accompanied by a competition open to students of the Academy of Fine Arts in via di Ripetta and of the La Sapienza and Roma Tre universities: a ‘contest’ for young designers which will enhance talent and give the new generations a opportunities to express new forms of art, combined with new forms of patronage. The exhibition, also organized thanks to the sponsorship of Credem Euromobiliare, will be open to the public in the first two weekends of April; and presented with a vernissage tomorrow, Saturday 6th, guests Giulia Manzù, daughter of the artist, Barbara Cinelli, art historian and Miriam Mirolla, from the Academy of Fine Arts.
“Two works that have never left the house will be exhibited”, says Giulia Manzù, president of the Giacomo Manzù Foundation since 2008. In addition to the ‘Bust’ – usually located in the atrium of Colle Manzù, in Aprilia, the villa that was the home and studio of the sculptor and painter – there is also ‘Portrait of Inge’, an oil on canvas. “The love with Inge was beyond the lines, the kind that no longer exists today. A love that I couldn’t even explain. He loved this woman so much, and was loved by her in return, that he made a myriad of portraits, busts and drawings of all kinds of her.“. An ancient seventeenth-century convent, Palazzo Ripetta is today a five-star hotel that has joined the Relais And Chateaux association: it has recently been renovated with Italian craftsmanship and entirely eco-green choices. The hotel has a rich corporate collection, works by Bruno Liberatore, Sinisca, but also ‘street art’, which have recently been enriched with a ‘new entry’: ‘But the previous was better’, by Sveva Angeletti. The installation with the writing ‘a cool exhibition’ here’ – an invitation to the public to visit and take part in the exhibition – will be lit during the exhibition.