A museum will be created in Carrara for Canova and the greats of the 19th century

The many plaster casts by Antonio Canova and other great artists of the19th century (Lorenzo Bartolini, Bertel Thorvaldsen, Carlo Finelli, Pietro Tenerani and others) owned by theAcademy of Fine Arts of Carrara could finally find a permanent home. In fact, the Academy’s director, Luciano Massari, has announced plans for a museum to house the plaster casts: this would be the resolution of a long-standing issue, since to date the Academy’s vast holdings (which in addition to the plaster casts include a picture gallery, a collection of Roman statues and artifacts from the city of Luni, sculptures from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and the works of many contemporary artists) are scarcely usable.

The collection, now housed in the Academy’s headquarters, the Palazzo Cybo-Malaspina (the former residence of the princes who ruled the small state of Massa and Carrara for centuries), will be moved to Palazzo Rosso, the building erected in 1776 to house the Academy’s first headquarters, and which remained so until the Napoleonic era, when the Academy was moved to the prince’s palace.

The new museum could see the light as early as 2019, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Carrarese Academy, established in 1769 at the behest of Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina. The Academy has already initiated a discussion with the Municipality of Carrara: Palazzo Rosso, in fact, needs modernization work. This could be a decisive turning point to ensure adequate accommodation for the Accademia’s gipsoteca: a heritage that has been waiting for years to be shown to the public in a stable and lasting way and in the context of a real museum. The management model has yet to be decided, but it will probably be up to the Academy of Fine Arts to manage.

Pictured: the Victory Room of the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, with three plaster casts by Canova (the two boxers and the portrait of Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte).

A museum will be created in Carrara for Canova and the greats of the 19th century

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.