Mitoraj Pompeii

30 majestic sculptures by the artist Igor Mitoraj are being exhibited in the archaeological area of Pompeii.
The outfitting of this Polish (and honorary Italian) artist's extraordinary posthumous exhibition is currently
underway and can be visited until 1 st May 2017. Under the artistic direction of Luca Pizzi, from the Atelier
Mitoraj, the majestic bronze sculptures have been placed in different areas of the site ranging from the
Temple of Venus to the Basilica and the Forum, from Via dell’Abbondanza to the Thermal Baths of Stabiae,
from the Triangular Forum to the Four-Sided Portico of the Theatres.

After the success of the exhibitions in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento and in Trajan's Market in Rome, the exhibition intends to seal an osmotic pair comprising archaeology and Mitoraj's contemporary art. These two realities end up blending and mixing, without ever overpowering one another, and instead create a harmonious dialectic connection which highlights and adds value to both the site's historical solemnity and the Polish master's sculptures.
The impressive and elegant characters of the sculptures will then cohabit with the most famous architectures of ancient Pompeii; Daedalus and the Temple of Venus, the Centaur and the Thermal Baths of Stabiae, winged Icarus and the Triangular Forum.

“Gods and mythological heroes will populate the streets and squares of the town that was buried by Mount Vesuvius. They will emerge like dreams from the ruins” announces Massimo Osanna, Director-General of Pompeii’s Superintendency. “Mute and iconic symbols, Mitoraj's works remind us, with their immanence, of the profound value classical antiquity has in contemporary culture. In Pompeii, as Théophile Gautier wrote in 1852, “a few steps separate ancient from modern life”.”

This big exhibition event was designed and promoted by the foundation ‘Terzo Pilastro – Italia e Mediterraneo’, under the patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism. It was organized by Pompeii's Superintendency, the Art gallery Contini and the Atelier Mitoraj (Pietrasanta).