Canova's Innocence and Sin Explored at Mart Rovereto

The Mart museum in Rovereto presents 'Canova. Tra innocenza e peccato' (Between Innocence and Sin), a major exhibition juxtaposing Antonio Canova's neoclassical sculptures with contemporary works. Curated by Vittorio Sgarbi and Beatrice Avanzi, the show features over 200 pieces, including Canova's Sleeping Nymph, Penitent Magdalene, and plaster cast of the Three Graces, alongside homoerotic photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe, psychedelic paintings by Paolo Marton, illicit shots by Miroslav Tichy, tattooed Psyche by Fabio Viale, and material photographs by Carla Cerati. A key dialogue pairs Canova's Venus Italica (1811 plaster) with Helmut Newton's Big Nude III (1980), contrasting classical modesty with bold female power. The exhibition draws heavily from 14 loans from the Gypsotheca of Possagno and works from Sgarbi's private collection, including pieces by Filippo Dobrilla, Jeff Koons (video with Cicciolina), and Dino Pedriali. Sgarbi aims to make the Mart a museum of 'art and nothing else,' popularizing all periods. The show runs at the Mart in Rovereto, Italy.