Rome, the Eternal City—Its over 2,000 years of glorious history and unparalleled culture have revolved around the Capitoline Hill, where temples dedicated to supreme deities stood and Rome’s city hall is currently located. Perched on that hill, the Capitoline Museums are one of the oldest museums in the world, having begun with the Renaissance Pope Sixtus IV’s donation of four ancient sculptures to the citizens of Rome. The museums’ extensive collection, which rests on the glory of the Roman Empire and holds antiquities and sculptures from the Vatican and paintings from famous Roman families, mirrors Rome’s development as a political, religious, and cultural center of Europe.
This exhibition will trace the history and art of Rome—“the Eternal City”—from the birth of the Republic to its ancient glory, and from the age of popes to modern times through some 70 sculptures, paintings, and prints primarily from the collection of the Capitoline Museums.
This year, 2023, marks the 150th anniversary of the Iwakura Mission’s visit to the Capitoline Museums. Dispatched by Japan’s Meiji government, the delegation’s European tour would have a major impact on Japan’s museum policy. In this milestone year, Rome’s sister city of Tokyo, along with Fukuoka, will host the first comprehensive exhibition of the Capitoline Museums’ collection in Japan.