Centro Trevi | Bolzano
21.10.2022 - 27.11.2022
On the occasion of the bicentenary of the death of Antonio Canova, the Centro Trevi in Bolzano hosts from the 21st of October to the 27th of November 2022, an exhibition dedicated to the genius of neoclassical sculpture: “Bolzano per Canova: il ritorno di Amore e Psiche”, promoted by the Culture Office of the Italian Culture Division of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Alto Adige.
In a collaboration with Robotor, Magister Art conceived an exhibition which includes in its itinerary a full-scale replica of Antonio Canova’s sculptural group Cupid and Psyche. This artwork has been chosen as an example of the iconographic success of Canova’s masterpiece in contemporary times.
The installation project started in 2019, stemming from an encounter between art and technology: from a 3D scan of the preparatory plaster cast for the sculpture, a robot carved non-stop, for 270 hours, a 10-tonne block of white Carrara marble. The installation also includes a video which contains in-depth contents with a script by Giuseppe Pavanello as well as a focus on the various steps for the reproduction of the statue made by the robot. This project aims to be an unparalleled tribute to the greatest interpreter of Neoclassicism, the first ambassador of Italian beauty in the world: Antonio Canova. The installation was displayed for the first time on the occasion of the exhibition Canova. Eterna Bellezza (Palazzo Braschi, Rome | from the 10th of October 2019 to the 15th of March 2020).
The installation aims to embody the theme of the replicability of an artwork, in a comparison between Canova’s technique using plaster models and what can be realized today thanks to advanced robotics.
The reproduction should be regarded as a tribute to the artistry of the sculptor. It expresses the contemporary aspiration to emphasize again the creative genius of Canova.
