Rome, for two months at the Pantheon there will be two sculptures by Oliviero Rainaldi

The Pantheon opens to contemporary sculpture with the exhibition Calma tu alma by Oliviero Rainaldi, an artist famous for his sculpture of John Paul II in front of Termini Station in Rome. From April 20 to June 15, it is the great temple that will host his works. Two in particular, specially created for this exhibition curated by Luca Beatrice and Gabriella Musto: the first, titled Calma tu alma (2023) represents a pair of hands, forty centimeters high, made of plaster and covered with 24-karat gold leaf. The sculpture is supported by a cylindrical base two meters high: in total, therefore, the work measures two meters and forty centimeters. “It will be placed in the center of the building,” explains Oliviero Rainaldi, “and is dedicated to the revolutionary discovery of Higgs’ ’God Particle.’ In fact, the sculpture cites the two hands in Michelangelo’s creation at the Sistine Chapel that, on this occasion, join together generating a contact between the index fingers. The intention of this exhibition is to send a message of moderation and reflection, echoing the teachings of Christianity for which the ultimate goal of all action is peace.”

The second sculpture (2023) is a bas-relief created by Rainaldi with marble from Vietnam(White Cristall), with LED backlighting, about two and a half meters in diameter and four meters high, including the base. It will be placed under the pronaos and represent a Crucifixion/Resurrection made evident by the posture. A harmony between art and faith that can be manifested not only by looking at the great masterpieces of the past but also the happy expressions of contemporary art. “I have always been in favor of the arts and the display of works in churches, home to great ancient, medieval and Renaissance masterpieces,” says Daniele Micheletti, archpriest-rector Monsignor Daniele Micheletti of the Collegiate Basilica “Santa Maria ad Martyres.”

“The Church has in art a tool to spread its message,” says Lorenzo Zichichi of "Il Cigno GG Edizioni,“ organizer of the event. Identifying contemporary artists to be the bearers of this is all the more important the more distinguished the artists involved. The two works that Oliviero Rainaldi wanted to create especially for the exhibition at the Pantheon fall perfectly in the groove of the best Catholic iconographic tradition.”

For the artist, the monumental installation at the Pantheon closes the cycle begun with the exhibition Oliviero Rainaldi. 2023 AD, five works set up from April 6 to May 9, 2023 in the Crypt of San Sepolcro of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. “The Ministry of Culture,” concludes the director of the Pantheon, Gabriella Musto, “has inaugurated for a year now an important path of active collaboration with the Chapter of the Diocese of Rome to interpret, in one of the most important and visited monuments of Rome, the synthesis of art, spirituality, contemporary dialogues. The Rainaldi, Calma tu alma exhibition is part of this happy communion of intentions and goals in order to expand a cultural offer at the Pantheon that is increasingly dynamic and current.”

Rome, for two months at the Pantheon there will be two sculptures by Oliviero Rainaldi

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