XIX CENTURY AND CONTEMPORARY ART

Model for the Decoration on the new Staircase of the Vatican Museums by Antonio Maraini

Being restored thanks to the generosity of the Ohio Chapter

Antonio Maraini was born in Rome in 1886. He graduated in Jurisprudence but dedicated his life to sculpture, art and architecture. Maraini was one of the most acclaimed artists in Italy, especially in Rome, between the two world wars. He was an art critic and writer for the brochure “La Tribuna” in Rome and “Domus, Dedalus and La Nazione.” He served as General Secretary of the Biennale in Venice from 1927 to 1938. Thanks to him, the famous and world renowned Biennale art exhibition of Venice became autonomous. Maraini also created an Historical Archive of the Biennale, increased opportunities for foreign artists, and organized very important exhibitions dedicated to the School of Paris and Futurism. His artistic inspiration led him to organize events such as the Festival of the Cinema, Music, Theatre and Poetry. He promoted Italian art abroad, organizing exhibitions in Paris (Museé du Jeude- Paume, 1935) and Berlin (1937). Between 1929 and 1932, Maraini worked on two magnificent projects: the bronze door of St. Paul Outside the Walls and the decoration of the staircase to the Vatican Museums. He completed a series of angels which express his technique, pure lines influenced by the liberty style and Italian tradition. The angels hold a coat of arms and decorate the helicoidal staircase created by Giuseppe Momo. The plasters of these angels were stored in Maraini's home in Florence and were used for projecting new works. They were acquired by the Vatican Museums in 2008.

Ultima Cena

Being restored thanks to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Philadelphia Chapter

Enrico Scifoni is a Roman artist from the end of the 19th century that painted the Last Supper in 1914 for the old refectory of what originally was the German-Hungarian Jesuit College (1574- 1773), and successively located at the Pontifical Institute of Saint Apollinaris. Consistently then, with the functions of a refectory, the artist revisited an important masterpiece: the Last Supper where Leonardo da Vinci painted for the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. In this piece, the artist expands the composition inserting a landscape on the bottom. This work has been removed and entrusted to the Vatican Museums for major restoration.

Cristo in Croce

Being restored thanks to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs Amos, California Chapter

A Roman artist, Enrico Scifoni (end of the 19th to the early 20th century), painted Christ on the Cross in 1914 for the old refectory of what originally was a vast complex of buildings located in the German-Hungarian Jesuit College (1574-1773), and successively located at the Pontifical Institute of Saint Apollinaris. In 1992 these buildings became property of Opus Dei who opened the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, allocating a classroom environment to become l’Aula Minor dell’Università. For this painting in the refectory, Scifoni obtained inspiration from an elaboration on Guido Reni’s altarpiece made for the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina of Christ Crucified, a work largely celebrated at the end of the middle of the last century. In Scifoni’s work, the artist expands the composition inserting a landscape on the bottom. Guido Reni’s high baroque style and theme are beautifully encaptured. This painting marvellously comunicates the moment of Christ on the Cross calling out to his Father: the tempestuous weather and drab color scheme highlight the mood; the dark and dry earth looking as if it is bearing a wound; Jerusalem in the far distance signalling the world Christ has come to pardon and save; the peaked tone of the Savior’s skin and his gaze towards God the Father looking for help. The glory that surrounds his sacred head indicates that theological reflection present in the Gospel of St. John: the Messiah’s moment of agony, is at the same time his moment of glory, his cross in his throne. This piece was removed and taken in deposits of the Vatican Museums for major renovation of the hall like the University lecture hall.

Acquisitions for the Contemporary Art Department The Deposition by Alik Cavaliere

Being restored thanks to the generosity of Mr and Mrs Genner, Holy Spirit Chapter, Georgia Chapter

The Deposition (1950) by Alik Cavaliere is a fascinating work of contemporary art. Alik Cavaliere was born in Rome in 1926 and died in Milan (1998) where he spent most of his life. He is one of the most prestigious contemporary sculptors in Italy and during his lifetime he was also the curator of the Academy of Fine Arts in Brera. During his lifetime his style underwent different phases and Cavaliere liked to use diverse material: glass, iron, copper, lead, wood, paper and plastic. His works are always characterized by a strong spirituality where faith and reality come together. The various and interesting shapes of his sculptures instantly communicate their message of religion and life. The acquisition of this work would bring an excellent contemporary piece to the Contemporary Art Collection of the Vatican Museums and the Deposition would be displayed in a room preceding the entrance of the Sistine Chapel, where thousands of visitors pass through every day. Thanks to the skilled work of this artist, the message of the work is immediate: desperation, confusion and devotion coinciding in the hearts of those who witness the deposition of the Lord Jesus from the cross. Cavaliere found inspiration in the Italian sculptures of the XV and XVI century. The iconography is traditional, yet the contrasting colors give to the whole work a sense of dynamism and movement. Fissures on the surface of the ceramic are made to look like scars on the skin and in this way underline the dramatic moment of the Lord being taken down from the cross.

Matisse Room

Being restored thanks to the generosity of Mrs. Liana Marabini, Monaco Chapter

The Vatican Museums are proud to present a completely new project for the Contemporary Art Museum: the conversion of the thirty-second room, found immediately before the stairs leading to the Sistine Chapel, into the new Matisse Room. Among its collection, the Vatican Museums has the unique ensemble of works by Henri Matisse made for the Chappelle du Rosaire in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. These works were donated by the son of the artist, Pierre Matisse, to the Vatican Museums in 1980. The Chappelle du Rosaire is the last and most important work of sacred art made by Matisse between 1950 and 1954 in which he designed the whole chapel: its architecture, paintings, stained glass windows, vestments, crucifix and altar. Presently, the Vatican Museums has in storage: four preparatory cartoons for the choir area, the apse and nave; five silk chasubles designed by Matisse himself for the liturgies of the chapel; two bronze “bozzetti” for the Crucifix and the Cross; and, twelve lithographs for the study of the face of the Virgin. The Vatican Museums also has in its possession various letters sent from Matisse to the Mother Superior of the Dominican Order, Soeur Jacques-Marie, including some sketches of the works that Matisse intended to carry out. Since 1973 and 1980 all of these artworks and letters have been held in storage. Once completed, the room will display all of these elements of the chapel in order to give the visitor a vision of this most unique chapel. The primary phase of this project took place in 2002 with the restoration of the Matisse Virgin and Child, thanks to generosity of the California Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums.

Previati Via Crucis (14 canvases)

Being restored thanks to the generosity of the Minnesota Chapter

a. Inv. 23467 Jesus is condemned to death b. Inv. 23468 Jesus carries the cross c. Inv. 23469 Jesus falls for the first time d. Inv. 23470 Jesus meets his mother e. Inv. 23471 Simon helps Jesus carry the cross f. Inv. 23472 Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Born in Ferrara in 1852, Gaetano Previati is one of the most important Italian artists of the nineteenth century. He is also well known for bringing new materials and style into sacred contemporary art. During his career, he first joined the artistic movement of the Scapigialtura in Milan, but later he became known for his skills in the artistic movement known as divisionism. He studied in Florence and Milan and he also attended the Academy of Brera. The Vatican Museums’ Contemporary Art Collection has one of the most important masterpieces of this artist: the Via Crucis. Previati painted three versions of the Via Crucis or the Way of the Cross and this is the last and most famous one (1901). It consists of 14 canvases, characterized by a multicolored use of contrasting figures in their dispositions and this, along with the nontraditional use of diagonal brushwork or strokes of paint, brings a contemporary and modern feel to the observer of a very traditional religious work of popular piety.