Kevin Spacey Reads Poetry at Rome's Palazzo Massimo in Surprise Return

On August 2, 2019, actor Kevin Spacey performed a surprise poetry reading at Palazzo Massimo, part of the Museo Nazionale Romano in Rome, near Termini Station. The two-time Oscar winner, known for American Beauty, House of Cards, and Seven, read English translations of poems by Gabriele Tinti inspired by the ancient bronze statue Boxer at Rest. The event marked Spacey's first public appearance in over two years, following sexual misconduct allegations that were later dropped. The collaboration began months earlier when Tinti contacted Spacey, who responded with "sensitivity and deep passion for art." Tinti's poems give voice to ancient statues, imagining their inner lives. The reading is part of Tinti's ongoing project Rovine, which has featured actors Joe Mantegna, Robert Davi, Burt Young, Franco Nero, and Marton Csokas reading poems about works like the Dying Gaul, the Victorious Youth, the Barberini Faun, the Discobolus, the Parthenon marbles, and the Farnese Hercules. Tinti has also written on paintings by Giorgio de Chirico, read by Alessandro Haber at the Museo del Novecento in Milan. Palazzo Massimo houses an important collection of ancient art, numismatics, and jewelry across four floors.