Vatican Library Opens Contemporary Art Space with Pietro Ruffo Exhibition

Key facts

• Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana opened a new permanent exhibition space for contemporary art.
• The Sala Espositiva is the institution's first public space for art.
• Funding was provided by the heirs of American philanthropist Kirk Kerkorian.
• The space overlooks the Cortile del Belvedere.
• Cardinal Librarian José Tolentino de Mendonça described the aim as supporting 'the culture of encounter.'
• Pope Francis attended the inauguration and spoke about the need for culture.
• The inaugural exhibition features Roman artist Pietro Ruffo (born 1978).
• The exhibition is titled 'Tutti. Umanità in cammino. Dalla cartografia di viaggio alle mappe utopiche e allegoriche: la Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana incontra Pietro Ruffo.'
• The show runs until February 25, 2022.
• The exhibition is inspired by Pope Francis's encyclical 'Fratelli Tutti' (October 2020), based on writings of Saint Francis.
• Curators are Don Giacomo Cardinali, Simona De Crescenzo, and Delio Proverbio.
• The exhibition includes Ruffo's cartographic works and three pontifical treasures: a Chinese planisphere, an Indian astronomical scroll, and five 16th-century paper astrolabes.
• A new site-specific commission by Ruffo, 'The Clearest Way,' is installed in the Sala Barberini.
• The installation covers 17th-century wooden bookshelves with botanical prints, transforming the room into an ideal forest.
• Themes of migration and travel are central to the exhibition.