L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano T he upcoming arrival in California of the Drunken Satyr statue from Herculaneum, an exhibition dedicat- ed to the Crater of Altamura, the famous vase that returns to shine after two years of restoration, and an important exhibition about Villa dei Papiri. These are the main events of the rich cal- endar of the Getty Villa in Mal- ibu, made possible thanks to the artistic and cultural exchange between the American institution and the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN). The prestigious Malibu muse- um complex dedicated to classi- cal antiquity, whose structure mirrors that of the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, is at the center of a wealth of activities launched in Los A ngeles by Consul General Antonio Verde who, in close coordination with the Italian Embassy and the Min- istry of Foreign Affairs, has been promoting a wide range of gov- ernment initiatives to relaunch Italy's image, in particular that of the Campania region, on for- eign markets. The most important initiative is related to an exhibition to be held in the spring of 2019 at the Getty Villa and which will see the Drunken Satyr from Villa dei Papiri exhibited in its American twin Villa, opened to the public in 1974 at the behest of philan- thropist and oilman Jean Paul Getty. T h e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h i s i m p o r t a n t e x c h a n g e w a s t h e focus of a three-day event orga- nized to promote the image of C a m p a n i a i n t h e w o r l d a n d , more specifically, in occasion of a meeting at the Getty Villa with Antonio Verde, Italian consul in Los Angeles, Ronald Spogli, ex ambassador in Rome, and mem- bers of the staff of the two insti- tutions led by Luisa Melillo, head of restoration at MANN, and Kenneth Lapatin, curator of a n t i q u i t i e s a t t h e G e t t y Museum. Dating from the Augustan age, the Drunken Satyr portrays a deity lying drunk on a rock, c o v e r e d w i t h a l i o n ' s s k i n . Found in 1754, it is among the m o s t p r e s t i g i o u s V i l l a d e i Papiri's artifacts. The piece will be restored by technicians from both Naples and the Getty Villa, reason for which the director of the Nation- a l A r c h a e o l o g i c a l M u s e u m , Paolo Giulierini, arrived in Los A n g e l e s w i t h h i s t e a m o f experts. "It's the first time a l a r g e b r o n z e f r o m V i l l a d e i Papiri will be at the Getty," Giulierini told us. "The Satyr will be shipped in September and its restoration will last four months.The operation is very delicate and will be carried out with cutting-edge techniques, which will serve as an example for future MANN works' trips to America, both for routine events but also for emergency situa- tions in case of disasters and earthquakes." The convention with MANN also involves an exhibition in the Californian Villa of a dozen original pieces preserved in the Neapolitan museum, to be dis- played instead of their copies, commissioned by the tycoon in the 70s. The Satyr will be the starting point for an exhibition d e d i c a t e d t o H e r c u l a n e u m ' s treasures.The exchange will also involve the sculptures of two corridors in the act of running, two bronze dancers, as well as some busts, frescoes, papyri and a l s o t h e m a c h i n e t o u n r o l l charred papyrus, invented by abbot Piaggio, a marvel of vin- tage technology applied to art. "Collaborating with great museums worldwide is neces- sary to strengthen the identity of the place where such exhibitions are created," Giulierini contin- ues, "which should not be con- sidered only houses for master- p i e c e s , b u t a t r u e c e n t e r o f cultural production. Next spring, in the same period of the exhibi- tion in Malibu, we are curating another one about Pompeii at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg; then, we will bring Canova's works to Naples. And on May 20 we will reopen the Magna Graecia section at the MANN." Timothy Potts, director of the Getty Villa, said he was enthusi- astic about the collaboration: "The original statues of Villa dei P a p i r i w i l l h a v e a p l a c e o f honor in our rooms, and they'll be mirrored along the pools by their copies, just where they were in the Hercolaneum Villa, a s s h o w n i n K a r l W e b e r ' s map." T h e G e t t y V i l l a d i r e c t o r , T i m o t h y P o t t s , a n d P a o l o Giulierini renew a collaboration that started in 2007 for the real- ization of long-term loans aimed at restoration work. Indeed, as of today, three important interven- tions were carried out at the Getty Museum on famous sculp- tures coming from MANN, with the support of the Restoration Office of the Neapolitan Muse- um directed by Luisa Melillo: the Efebo from Pompeii's Via dell'Abbondanza, the Apollo Saettante and the colossal statue o f T i b e r i u s . C u r r e n t l y , t h e Department of Conservation of Antiquities is working to bring the famous Crater of Altamura - or of Hell - back to its original splendor. The red-figure crater is 2 meter high and was probably m a d e a r o u n d 3 5 0 B C i n t h e ceramic workshops of the Taran- to area. Its decorations bring the observer on a journey through the underworld, populated by over twenty mythological fig- ures including Hades and Perse- phone, the musician Orpheus, Hercules and Sisyphus. "The first event at the Getty Villa will focus on the restora- t i o n o f t h e A l t a m u r a C r a t e r , funded by the US foundation for the last two years," Luisa Melil- lo tells us. Also known as the Crater of the Underworld, its exhibition in Los Angeles will be entitled Underworld and will be opened, not surprisingly, next October 31st, on Halloween. The Drunken Satyr will be exhibited at the Getty Villa for three months and will contribute to give MANN international vis- ibility both among the American public and the many visitors from all over the world. "The s y n e r g y b e t w e e n M a n n a n d Getty is a precious opportunity for cultural exchange and opera- tional integration between two of the world's most prestigious museums," emphasizes Consul General Antonio Verde, "and it also represents a great opportuni- ty to raise awareness among Cal- ifornians about the excellence of Campania, a region rich in cul- ture and touristic attractions." SILVIA GIUDICI Timothy Potts, director of the Paul Getty Museum. The collaboration between the popular LA museum and the MAN of Naples will bring great classical art in the Californian city Ancient Italian art restored in Los Angeles LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY The beautiful and majestic Crater of the Underworld, is under restoration at the Getty and will be exhibited next October, just on time for Halloween

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