The exhibition, requested by Jean-Marc de La Sablière, French Ambassador to Italy, has been set up in collaboration with the Italian Ministry for Culture, and is curated by Prof. Francesco Buranelli, Secretary of the Papal Commission for Cultural Heritage of the Church, and by architect Roberto Cecchi, General Secretary of the Ministry for Culture.

The idea behind this exhibition came from a desire to open up Palazzo Farnese, now the location of the French Embassy, to the public.

The Palazzo houses an array of art works covering five centuries of history, beginning with the now defunct Farnese family, succeeded by the Bourbons of Naples, up to the present day Embassy and the Ecole française de Rome. Then there is the Farnese collection: ecclesiastical figures, skilled politicians or great commanders, the Farnese family were also important patrons, and made their home into a “museum of the world”.

Over 150 works, including paintings, statues, drawings, sculpture, coins, tapestries and ceramics, bring five centuries of the fascinating history of this Palazzo to life: from the 16^th century pomp of the Farnese family, through the modern period, to the last 135 years during which the Palazzo has been the seat of the French Embassy in Italy and the Ecole française de Rome. A significant number of works from the Farnese collection have been returned to the place where they first originated thanks to this family’s great passion for art.

The exhibition can be seen, by appointment only, until 27^th April 2011.

For information and bookings: +39 (0)6 32810

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 at 1:09 pm and is filed under italian art, italian culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.