Pietro Ruffo's 'Tutti' Opens at Vatican Library
In a historic move, the Vatican Apostolic Library is showcasing contemporary art for the first time in over 500 years with the exhibition 'Tutti. Umanità in cammino' by Pietro Ruffo, which will be on display until February 25, 2022. Curated by Don Giacomo Cardinali, Simona De Crescenzo, and Delio Vania Proverbio, this exhibition draws inspiration from Pope Francis's encyclical 'Fratelli tutti' (October 3, 2020), focusing on themes of brotherhood and peace. Notable pieces include 'Migration globes (IV and V)' (2017), 'Constellations 58 and 59' (2021), the 'Planisfero celeste' (1634), and a 36-meter 'Book of Fixed Stars.' The highlight is Ruffo's 'Nilo blu' (2021), accompanied by Matthäus Seutter's allegorical map (c. 1730) and the installation 'The clearest way,' which features a forest depicted on graph paper rolls.
Key facts
- First contemporary art exhibition in Vatican Apostolic Library in over 500 years
- Exhibition 'Tutti. Umanità in cammino' by Pietro Ruffo runs until February 25, 2022
- Inspired by Pope Francis's encyclical 'Fratelli tutti' (October 3, 2020)
- Curated by Don Giacomo Cardinali, Simona De Crescenzo, and Delio Vania Proverbio
- Held in the Kerkorian Room, named after Kirk Kerkorian
- Features 'Migration globes' and 'Constellations' works by Ruffo
- Includes historical maps: Planisfero celeste (1634), Book of Fixed Stars (10th c.), Nile map (pre-1682)
- Installation 'The clearest way' in the Barberini library room
- Library founded mid-15th century by Pope Nicholas V, holds ~2 million items
- Cardinal José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça is head of the Vatican Library
Entities
Artists
- Pietro Ruffo
- Johan Adam Schall von Bell
- 'Abd al-Rahmān al-Ṣūfi
- Evliya Çelebi
- Matthäus Seutter
- Giovan Battista Soria
Institutions
- Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana
- Palazzo Farnese di Caprarola
- Palazzo Barberini
- Santa Sede
Locations
- Roma
- Città del Vaticano
- Caprarola
- Italia