Canova and the birth of modern sculpture: Theseus on the Minotaur on display in Possagno

From March 23 to June 21, 2025, the Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno is hosting an exhibition-dossier dedicated to one of the masterpieces of neoclassical sculpture: Theseus on the Minotaur, an early work by Antonio Canova (Possagno, 1757 - Venice, 1822) created in Rome in 1783. Curated by Elena Catra, a member of the Institution’s Scientific Committee, and sponsored by Continuità di Idee S.R.L., the exhibition titled Canova and the Birth of Modern Sculpture offers the public an opportunity to take a close look at a crucial moment in the Venetian sculptor’s artistic evolution. The event takes on special importance thanks to the addition to the collection, through a free loan, of the plaster Head of Theseus, from a private collection and never before exhibited. The element becomes the centerpiece of the exhibition, which also includes the first plaster model made by Canova as a study for the sculpture and the plaster cast of the final work. Theseus on the Minotaur represents a turning point in the history of sculpture, marking the overcoming of Baroque excesses and the affirmation of Neoclassical principles. Initially, Canova envisioned a dynamic scene, with the Greek hero engaged in a struggle against the Minotaur. However, inspired by the models of classical statuary, he opted for a more reflective and solemn representation: Theseus, victorious, is seated on the lifeless body of the Minotaur, with the club still in his hand, in a pose of composed pride. This detachment from the action, in favor of a moment of recollection, marked a departure from Baroque conventions, which favored movement and pathos.

The work was an immediate success. In 1787 it was purchased by the cultured Viennese Count Joseph Johann Graf von Fries, who commissioned engraver Raphael Morghen to make a printed reproduction and had Angelika Kauffmann portray him with the sculpture in the background. After Fries’s death, the sculpture passed into the hands of the Marquis of Londonderry, the English ambassador to Vienna, and then came to England and eventually was acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where it is still preserved.

The Possagno exhibition also offers an in-depth tour through period documents and engravings. A section set up in Canova’s birthplace presents the etching Theseus on the Minotaur, taken from a drawing by Salesa Bonaventura and engraved by Raffaello Morghen, along with historical publications that testify to the critical fortune of the work. Theseus on the Minotaur was born at a crucial period in Canova’s career. Arriving in Rome in 1779, when he was only twenty-two years old, the sculptor was supported by the Venetian ambassador Girolamo Zulian, who gave him a block of marble, leaving him complete freedom of choice as to the subject to be depicted. Canova, fascinated by classical myth and eager to assert a new artistic vision, created a work that combined formal rigor and expressiveness, anticipating his future monumental production.

"We are very pleased to open this artistic journey today with the presentation of Theseus on the Minotaur, which initiates the birth of modern sculpture and continues our busy calendar of events, which makes me particularly proud to preside over our Foundation," says Massimo Zanetti, president of Fondazione Canova onlus.

"The exhibition focuses attention on a key work in Canova’s production, Theseus on the Minotaur," says Moira Mascotto, Director of the Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova. “Made during his first stay in Rome, it marks the transition from Baroque to Neoclassical canons. During this period, the confrontation with figures such as Gavin Hamilton and Ambassador Zulian was decisive in the adoption of a new sculptural language, paving the way for modern sculpture. Insights such as this are fundamental to understanding the sculptor’s poetics and his artistic journey.”

“The date of 1783,” says Elena Catra, curator of the exhibition, “marks, in agreement for the critics of the time, the beginning of a new season in the history of art and in particular in the history of sculpture. In this year Theseus on the Minotaur, the work of the ”valiant Venetian Antonio Canova“ from whom great things were expected in the future, was being finished and exhibited to the public. With Theseus on the Minotaur Canova had shown that he had abandoned the ”stil di maniera“ still prevailing at that time and embraced the ”new style“ that would lead him to become the sculptor par excellence, the ”novello Fidia,“ imitated by all on a par with the great masters of antiquity.”

Practical information

Hours:

Tuesday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Last admission one hour before closing

Tickets:

full: €13.00; reduced: €10

Canova and the birth of modern sculpture: Theseus on the Minotaur on display in Possagno

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