Milano: the exhibition “Neoclassical and Romantic. Pompeo Marchesi, sculptor collector” at Villa Reale.
La GAM Gallery of Modern Art by Milano presents the exhibition “Neoclassical and Romantic. Pompeo Marchesi, sculptor collector” in the rooms on the ground floor of the Villa Reale. The exhibition, curated by Omar Cuccinello and promoted by the Municipality of Milano|Culture, celebrates the figure of Pompeo Marchesi (1783-1858), important sculptor of the nineteenth century, student of Canova and defined by Stendhal as "le sculpteur à la mode de Milan". The exhibition, which brings together Marchesi's collection distributed over the years in various city institutions, allows us to reconstruct the complexity of his collection and its importance for the birth of Milanese civic art collections. Alongside Marchesi's sculptures from the Gallery of Modern Art, a selection of paintings, drawings, engravings and books by various artists close to him that he himself had assembled over the years are on display for the first time. The exhibition aims to celebrate not only the sculptor but also the collaboration between civic institutions, essential for opening new perspectives on the city's cultural heritage and enriching the cultural programming of Milano. The figure of Marchesi is closely linked to the city, where he achieved great success by participating in the most important city construction sites and in the artistic life as a professor at the Brera Academy. Marchesi's sculpture is in balance between the search for ideal and eternal beauty, borrowed from Canova, and a more modern romantic sensibility, as can be seen from the sketches on display. The sculptor's grandiose atelier, frequented by artists, writers and intellectuals, was organized like a museum and here Marchesi brought together all the plaster models and sketches of his sculptures, but also a rich collection of works of art collected over the years. Marchesi's bequest to the city of Milano, upon his death, included the numerous works of the sculptor but also everything he had collected during his life, with particular reference to his contemporary artists including Antonio Canova, whose model of Hebe he owned, perhaps the most precious work of the collection. This legacy lies at the origins of the civic artistic collections of Milano, and the works of the Marchesi collection are still preserved today in various institutes founded over the years.
The exhibition “Neoclassical and Romantic. Pompeo Marchesi, sculptor collector” therefore allows us to enhance the profile of a great sculptor and his complexity as a collector, but also the richness of the Milanese civic collections. The exhibition is a unique opportunity to admire some of the most important works of the city's artistic heritage, collected together to celebrate the figure of one of the greatest Milanese artists of the nineteenth century.
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