Thanks to the celebrations of Plinian’s two thousandth anniversarythe city of How hosts until August 31st exhibition ‘The catalog of the world: Pliny the Elder and the history of nature’. This is an unpublished story dedicated to the figure and life of Pliny the Elder which develops in the urban fabric of the lakeside city. Curated by Gianfranco Adornato, the exhibition presents over 40 works from the major Italian museum institutions such as, among others, the Uffizi Galleries, the Vatican Museums and the Palatine Library. The exhibition itinerary showcases statuary works from antiquity, portraits, gems, manuscripts and works by contemporary artists.
Born in Como between 23 and 24 AD, Gaius Pliny Second died in Pompeii on 24 August 79 during the eruption of Vesuvius. Such was his thirst for knowledge of nature, in fact, that it pushed him to study the event closely, until he died suffocated by ash. His most important work is ‘Naturalis Historia’a naturalistic treatise in encyclopedic form where numerous information on the history of ancient art is also reported.
Maintained by the architect Paolo Brambilla, the installation offers an open-air route that goes from the main locations of the former Church of San Pietro in Atrio and Palazzo del Broletto to the new Vis Comensis multimedia space. The exhibition also includes Roman remains from Pliny’s contemporary era such as, for example, the Roman baths. Divided into six sections, the exhibition itinerary illustrates the current relevance of the themes covered in the ‘Naturalis Historia’.
Among the statuary works of antiquity we highlight the ‘Statue of a naked ephebe Westmacott type’preserved in Castel Gandolfo, ei busts of the three emperors Tiberius, Titus and Augustus. There is no shortage of Doryphoros of the Uffizi together with 14 gems, ancient specimens linked to Pliny’s text to underline the grandeur of these very precious objects. To enrich the exhibition, the works of important modern artists who recall the works and life of Pliny the Elder. This is the case of the sculptor Fabio Viale present with ‘Laocoon’, ‘Venus’ and ‘Kouros’ which refer to the classical age but on which the artist overwrites new values through tattoos. The dialogue with the contemporary continues with the premiere of the ‘Pompeian Interior’ project by Luigi Spina, the ‘Vesuvius’ screenprint by Andy Warholthe work ‘Naturalis Historia’ by Giulio Paolini and three series by the American artist Cy Twombly.
Created by the Alessandro Volta Foundation with the artistic coordination of the National Committee for the celebrations of the two thousand years since the birth of Pliny the Elder, the exhibition is accompanied by the volume ‘The catalog of the world: Pliny the Elder and the History of Nature’ published by 24 Culture Hours.
