ICONE DI POTERE E BELLEZZA

The exhibition design for *Icone di Potere e Bellezza*develops through a close dialogue with the large gallery that hosts it: a monumental, frescoed and elongated space, marked by the temporary absence of the Idolino, the original focal point of the room. This absence offered the opportunity to rethink the exhibition sequence, introducing a threshold that leads visitors into a more intimate, almost ritual dimension without interrupting the relationship with the museum’s permanent architecture.

The project takes the form of an ephemeral micro-architecture: a lightweight volume calibrated to the rhythm and proportions of the gallery and defined by a semi-transparent membrane of draped mesh fabric. Its controlled transparency creates an enveloping interior while allowing the historic decorations to remain visible, establishing a layered perception between temporary intervention and permanent space.

Purple, traditionally associated with Roman power, becomes the conceptual backdrop of the exhibition and transforms the volume into a contemporary shrine-like space. Inside, five glass display cases organise the exhibits according to a measured rhythm. A two-level display system distinguishes the principal works from complementary objects, guiding the visitor’s gaze and encouraging a slower, more attentive reading of the collection.

Location:
National Archaeological Museum of Florence

in collaboration with:
Fondazione Brescia Musei
and with
Opificio delle Pietre Dure

Director:
Daniele Federico Maras

Curated by:
Daniele Federico Maras
Barbara Arbeid

Exhibition Design:
DEFERRARI+MODESTI
Javier Deferrari | Lavinia Modesti

Graphic design:
TassinariVetta

Exhibition Production:
Legn’arté s.n.c.
Fratelli Edison s.r.l.

Year: 2025
Area: 40 square metres
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Photographs by:
Alessandra Chemollo