Human too human: the athletic competition from altars to dust

The exhibition at Villa d'Este focuses on the conception of the body in the West, starting from the naturalistic anatomical representation of the athlete in Greco-Roman art, referring to the ideal of a hero-warrior for physical abilities and intellectual virtues.

Ample space is also dedicated to the representation of athletic competition, from which the competitive spirit emerges, a legacy of ancient practices of initiation to courage, which in ancient Greece was an important aspect of education for the achievement of "kalokagathìa", the synthesis of the ideal of physical and moral perfection of man. The path illustrates how the latter leads to awareness and anxiety about one's limit and the consequent "corruption" of each model, typical of the contemporary world.

Among the works on display, heads and torsos of athletes and mosaics with gymnastic scenes from the Roman National Museum, Villa Adriana and the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica; bronzes of wrestlers from the Archaeological Museum of Florence; ceramics with fight scenes from the Capitoline Museums, the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia and the Antiquarium of Numana. Works of modern and contemporary art complete the exhibition, such as tables and drawings by Mario Sironi, works by Giulio Paolini and Vincenzo Agnetti. 

The exhibition was born from the collaboration between the VILLAE of Tivoli and the National Roman Museum. The curators are the respective directors Andrea Bruciati and Stéphane Verger.

Photo credits: courtesy of  the VILLAE of Tivoli Facebook page