Elisabetta Benassi to Create Site-Specific Work for Michelangelo's Cloister at Baths of Diocletian

Elisabetta Benassi has been selected to create a contemporary artwork for the eighth pillar of Michelangelo's Cloister at the Baths of Diocletian in Rome, part of the Museo Nazionale Romano. The project, titled "L'ottava testa" (The Eighth Head), stems from a restoration of seven animal marble heads—four from ancient Roman excavations near Trajan's Column and three from Renaissance artists—using innovative natural biocides and essential oils. The eighth pillar, previously empty, will host Benassi's site-specific piece, chosen by a scientific committee including Maite Bulgari, Damiana Leoni, Massimo Osanna, Ludovico Pratesi, and Stéphane Verger. Benassi was selected from a shortlist of Giorgio Andreotta Calò, Monica Bonvicini, Paola Pivi, and Francesco Vezzoli for her project's originality and its engagement with conceptual art traditions. The work will be unveiled in May 2024. This initiative is part of a broader €71 million renovation of the Museo Nazionale Romano's four sites (Baths of Diocletian, Palazzo Massimo, Palazzo Altemps, Crypta Balbi), funded by the PNRR, aimed at upgrading facilities and opening new exhibition spaces. The Baths of Diocletian, the largest ancient Roman bath complex and original home of the museum since 1889, has long fostered dialogue between ancient and contemporary art.