Designed by Filippo di Sambuy in collaboration with Aldo Taranto and Giovanna dalla Chiesa, the curator of the exhibition, the project is inspired by key symbols associated with the figure of Frederick II - as the founder of integration between the Greek, Latin, Arab and Jewish cultures and even of the uniting Romance language - an example at the ‘Origin’ of the first plan for national integration that may still be followed today.
During the forthcoming events related to UNESCO’s proclamation of Arab-Norman World Heritage Sites, two institutions, Palazzo Reale and the Riso Museum, enthusiastically welcomed the idea of cooperating with the organisation of the exhibition - which displays three freestanding installations, a series of preparatory drawings, a wood sculpture and a portrait of Frederick II – and enabling the public to follow the traditional itinerary in a contemporary key through works by Filippo di Sambuy.
The artworks exhibited inside Palazzo Reale, in the Maqueda courtyard, the nave of the Cappella dell’Incoronazione that evokes the emperor’s magnificence, the Crypt and the Loggia dell’Incoronazione, which are out-of-bounds areas of the Museum and, finally, in the large outdoor Showcase of Palazzo Belmonte Riso will be on show until the 31st of August.
The event STUPOR MUNDI | L’ORIGINE, produced thanks to the fundamental support of Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Italia e Mediterraneo, chaired by Professor Emmanuele F. M. Emanuele, who affirmed, “This project has gained public and critical acclaim, clearly demonstrating that, by retrieving its Mediterranean dimension and enhancing its traditions, Palermo may continue to be a first-class centre of artistic and cultural attraction. The figure of Frederick II with his fascinating and versatile personality, embodies the ideal model of a man and Dominus: indeed, he was an excellent jurist, careful legislator, architect, man of letters, poet, patron of science and the arts, a Catholic who criticised the intrusiveness of the Church’s temporal power and a farsighted philanthropist with progressive ideas. This project, created by Filippo di Sambuy, reinstates the central role played by the city of Palermo and Sicily, epicentre of the convergence and osmosis of cultures in the XII century, which is why the extension of this exhibition is appropriate and well deserved”.
The catalogue, published by the historic Umberto Alemandi publishing house, may be consulted at the bookshops in the aforementioned venues.
The Director of the Museo Riso states, “We are especially pleased to extend this this exhibition for which Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Italia e Mediterraneo, the Assemblea Regionale and the Museo Regionale di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea of Palazzo Belmonte Riso operate in synergy, involving in a new regional network the Cappella dell'Incoronazione, an out of bounds area of the Museum and a real treasure to be included in the Arab-Norman itinerary recently promoted by UNESCO.”
