until Sunday September 13 2015

Fondazione Prada
Ca’ Corner Della Regina
T : +39 041 810 9161
Santa Croce 2215
30135 Venice
Italy

Exhibition ‘Portable Classic’, co-curated by Salvatore Settis and Davide Gasparotto, explores the origins and functions of miniature reproductions of classical sculptures, showcasing more than 80 artworks on the ground and first floor at Ca’ Corner della Regina.

Both in ancient Rome and modern Europe a true ‘canon’ of sculptures was created, considered as an undisputed peak of excellence of a given subject. Their prestige was so high that, since it was almost impossible to acquire the originals, their reproductions, even on a small scale, were eagerly sought for by well-read audiences.
Some classical small-scale masterpieces are presented along with Renaissance multiples, through the examples of the ‘Marsyas’ (‘Ignudo della paura’) and the ‘Crouching Venus’. Another section of the exhibition is devoted to important art collectors from the 1500’s. In a selection of paintings by Lorenzo Lotto, Tintoretto and Bernardino Licinio, the subjects are portrayed among classical sculptures and plaster casts from their personal collections. Starting from the emblematic cases of the ‘Belvedere Torso’ and the ‘Laocoön’, the exhibition illustrates how Renaissance artists employed small-scale copies to elaborate hypotheses on the missing portions of the classical originals.