PRESS RELEASE

‘Dalí's Christ in Rome’, on 13 May the inauguration of the exhibition towards the Jubilee

at San Marcello al Corso

(Vatican City) - On Monday, May 13, at 18.00, at the church of San Marcello al Corso, in Rome, marks the opening of the outstanding exhibition entitled ‘Dalí's Christ in Rome’, the third exhibition of the artistic review ‘I Cieli Aperti’, part of the cultural itinerary towards the Holy Year, which will be open free of charge until 23 June 2024. The renowned painting by the Spanish artist, the ‘Christ of Saint John of the Cross’, (known as ‘The Christ of Port lligat’, 1951, oil on canvas, 204.8 x 115.9 cm, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow) will be extraordinarily exhibited for the first time next to an object closely related to it, from which Dalí took inspiration for his masterpiece. It is the ‘sketch-reliquary of Christ Crucified’ (ink on paper, 57 x 47 mm, 1542-1591) made by Saint John of the Cross himself, who is said to have drawn the sketch after a mystical revelation. The work is kept in the saint's reliquary at the Monasterio de la Encarnación in Ávila.

The two works on display in the church have never before in history been exhibited side by side, and for the first time they can be admired together. The exceptional possibility of exhibiting the drawing-reliquary was given by the generosity of the Monastery and Bishop Jesús Rico García of Ávila. In addition to its extraordinary artistic beauty, the theme of Christian Hope, which Salvador Dalí's painting conveys, makes it particularly suited to the Jubilee context. Hope emerges first and foremost from Christ, floating in the darkness, who is offered up from above, as if the viewer were seeing him through the eyes of the Father, for the redemption of a world that, immediately below, seems to have found a safe harbour of salvation.

In addition, Dalí, a spiritually restless artist, certain of the existence of God and fascinated by the beauty of Christ, can certainly not be considered a prototype of linear catholicity, but he remains an emblematic figure of a twentieth-century man, almost contemporary, inhabited by a powerful nostalgia for God. The choice of the church of San Marcello al Corso as the exhibition venue is not accidental, but linked to the history and significance of the Crucifix it houses. This link between Dalí's work and the historical Crucifix offers a unique opportunity for reflection and prayer.

The exhibition of the famous painting ‘Christ of Saint John of the Cross’ marks the third art and faith event of the ‘Jubilee is Culture’ series, after ‘El Greco in Rome’, on show between September and October 2023 at Sant'Agnese in Agone, which with its over 288,000 visitors in one month was a huge success, and the exhibition ‘100 Nativity Scenes in the Vatican’, between December 2023 and January 2024, which attracted over 280,000 visitors.

The opening event on 13 May is free admission subject to availability. From 14 May onwards, the exhibition will be open daily from 8.00 to 20.00 at the Church of San Marcello al Corso, Piazza San Marcello 5.

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