One of Rome's major exhibition halls, the Scuderie del Quirinale (the converted stables of the Presidential Palace), is dedicating a major exhibition to "Metamorphoses", the epic narrative poem by the Latin poet Ovid as part of the celebrations to mark the Bi-millennium of the poet's death in 17/18 AD.
Publius Ovidius Naso, to give him his full name, enjoyed enormous popularity in his lifetime, but for unknown reasons he incurred the wrath of the Emperor Augustus. He was exiled to the outpost of Tomis on the Black Sea where he died.
The exhibition concentrates on his most famous work, "Metamorphoses", which narrates the lustful goings-on of the gods, the transformation of fleeing maidens anxious to escape the unwanted attentions into other forms, the disguises some of the cunning gods adopted in order to get their way and the perils of arousing their ire and challenging their powers.
"Ovid, Loves, Myths and Other Stories" is curated by Prof. Francesca Ghedini, of the University of Padua, and an Ovid expert, and features 250 works, on loan from some 80 Italian and international museums, including the Louvre (Paris), the National Gallery (London), the Uffizi (Florence) and the National Archeological Museum of Naples. It includes masterpieces such as Botticelli's "Venere Pudica" and the 1-2 century AD Roman sculpture "Venere Callipigia" (which translated into modern terms means:" the Venus with the beautiful backside"), as well as rare old books and manuscripts from collections in Germany, Greece and Denmark.
The modern touch is provided by the American artist Joseph Kosuth with installations inspired by Ovid's most celebrated lines and phrases, many of which are still in current use today.
The exhibition runs until the 20 January 2019 and is accompanied by a series of lectures, free of charge, on the poet's life and works in various venues in Rome.
Info: Tel. +39.06.90255537 www.scuderiequirinale.it - info@scuderiequirinale.it
