Alda Fendi Opens Rhinoceros, a Multifunctional Art Hub in Rome

Alda Fendi has inaugurated Rhinoceros, a 3,500-square-meter cultural hub in Rome's Campo Boario area, near the Arch of Janus. The project, developed with artistic director Raffaele Curi and architect Jean Nouvel, transforms a former dilapidated public housing building into a mixed-use space featuring exhibition areas, a rooftop restaurant by Caviar Kaspia, and 25 mini-apartments managed by Kike Sarasola's new brand The Rooms of Rome. The Fondazione Alda Fendi ‒ Esperimenti oversees the non-profit cultural activities, while commercial ventures include high-end hospitality and dining. Inaugural events starting October 11, 2018, include a performance by Vincent Gallo as Antonio in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, a surprise outdoor work by Pierre et Gilles, and a central exhibition of twelve original Michelangelo architectural drawings commented by Nouvel. In December, Michelangelo's 'Adolescente' from the Hermitage Museum will be displayed, marking the first long-term loan to a private entity, with the foundation becoming the Hermitage's Rome outpost. The building's name Rhinoceros references Rome's power and will guide the first year's programming. The project also includes urban requalification of the surrounding area and lighting of the 4th-century Arch of Janus by Vittorio Storaro.