Alberto Sordi Gallery, Rome
On the occasion of its imminent reopening, after a renovation process, the historic Galleria Alberto Sordi in Rome, located in the city center of Rome, chose to host from 23 January to 23 February 2024 a full-scale reproduction of Antonio Canova’s sculptural group Cupid and Psyche, conceived by Magister Art, in collaboration with Robotor.
This contemporary replica is a full-scale (1:1) reproduction of the sculptural group Cupid and Psyche by Antonio Canova, on display in the Louvre in Paris.
It was created from a 3D scan of the plaster model, part of a private art collection, by having a robot sculpt a 10-ton block of white Carrara marble for 270 hours non-stop.
The installation aims to prompt a reflection on the concept of the replicability of art, through a comparison between the techniques of Canova, who used plaster models, and what can be done today thanks to advanced robotics.
This installation should be viewed as a form of respect for the artist’s thought and expresses the contemporary aspiration to highlight once again Canova’s creative genius.
The inauguration of the Galleria Sordi, on 23 January, took place in the presence of the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, the Chairman of Fondazione Enasarco, Alfonsino Mei, and the Chairman of the Prelios Group, Fabrizio Palenzon.
After being displayed as part of exhibitions dedicated to Antonio Canova, first at Palazzo Braschi in Rome in 2019 and the the Trevi Centre in Bolzano in 2022, this was the first time the sculptural group was exhibited as a stand-alone installation, in an “urban” setting, open to the city, thus underscoring its multifaceted significance and its ability to enrich different contexts. The installation, in fact, was born of the meeting between art and technology in a comparison between Canova’s neoclassical technique and what is possible today thanks to advanced robotics, perfectly fitting in the space of the Galleria Alberto Sordi, a jewel of Art Nouveau architecture destined for a contemporary role, a place of transit for citizens and tourists.
Extending over approximately 10,000 square metres, the Arcade is characterised by its entrances surrounded by neoclassical columns, its mosaic floor and its stained-glass ceiling. The sculptural group was reinterpreted as a site-specific installation and equipped with a plinth specially designed for the Arcade setting, to fully attune it to its architectural context. At the base of the plinth, a mirrored stripe reflects the mosaic floor with the coat of arms composed of a “G” and a column capital, the original emblem of the Arcade when it was called Galleria Colonna (“Colonna” in Italian means column), respecting the historic character of the venue. A mirrored panel at the rear of the sculptural group provides an overall view of the back of the artwork, while, at the same time, creating an interplay of reflections with the columns of the entrance and the grandiose Marcus Aurelius column in the square across from the Arcade.
Viewers simultaneously encounter in their field of vision the sculpture, seen in its entirety front and back, the columns delimiting the entrance to the Arcade, and the column of Marcus Aurelius, establishing a sort of fil rouge linking ancient Rome to the Neoclassicism of Canova, to the Art Nouveau of the Arcade, and culminating in a contemporary artwork sculpted by a robot.
The back of the mirrored wall, instead, serves as an explanatory panel with a text describing the concept of the artwork and a QR code that can be scanned to see videos about the marble working process, carried out by the robot, and the tale of Cupid and Psyche by Apuleius, from which Canova drew inspiration to create his work.
