Monumental Sculpture meets Monumental Site: Mauro Staccioli and the Baths of Caracalla

Mauro Staccioli's "Portale," 2014.  An opening,
rather than a closing off.  Compare with Staccioli's contribution to the 1978 Biennale, below.

The Baths of Caracalla are always impressive--a Rome-the-First-Time experience, to be sure.  But for the next ten days or so the Baths are a special treat.  Through September 30, this monumental complex is the site an equally monumental set of sculptures by Italian artist Mauro Staccioli.  Titled "Sensibile ambientale" (environmental sensibility), the show is the first retrospective of the work of Staccioli, who died at age 80 on January 1, 2018.

Curated by Alberto Fiz, the exhibition features 26 pieces, some outside, above ground, and some inside, along the underground passages of the Baths.

Tuscan by birth, Staccioli received his arts education at the Art Institute in Volterra, taught in Cagliari (Sardinia) for some years after 1960, before joining the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan in 1968.




Invited to exhibit at the Venice Biennale in 1978, he fashioned the wall that made him famous, even notorious: a 26-foot concrete barrier, provocatively obstructing the view of the Italian pavilion.





Working in a minimalist vein, Staccioli favored basic geometric forms but on a grand scale.  His passion was the relationship of a work of art to its environment.  Writing in Art Forum in 1995, critic Giorgio Verzotti wrote, " In his indoor as well as in his outdoor installations, Mauro Staccioli's sculptures set up a tension between the work itself and the exhibition site."

In selecting the Baths for the retrospective (we assume he was involved in that process before his death), Staccioli took on an unusual challenge.  Although many of his sculptures are huge and inherently imposing--not unlike the iron behemoths of Richard Serra--the Baths are monumental on a scale all their own.

In some cases, then, the "tension" between the work and the site is a tension between monumentalisms--the Baths on the one hand, Staccioli's sculptures on the other.  In some cases, though certainly not all, the Baths swallow, absorb, and minimize Staccioli's work, as in the photo below.

Here, Staccioli's ring sculpture is dominated by the Baths

In others--perhaps especially the interior pieces--the sculptor's creations hold their own, dominate, or (see below) simply enhance the look and feel of the Baths.  Dianne at right.

Although Staccioli did not live to see the exhibition installed, we like to think he would have enjoyed all the complex ways in which his work interacts with one of the most dramatic sites in Rome.

Visitors may (assuming it's still there) also enjoy Michelangelo Pistoletto's nicely lit "The Replenished Apple," which resides in one of the underground chambers.

Pistoletto's "The Replenished Apple"

Staccioli has permanent installations at a dozen or more locations around the world, including the Olympic Park in Seoul, the Parc Tournay-Solvay in Brussels, and Villa Glori in Rome.  Whether permanent or not, a powerful and elegant Staccioli piece fronts the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, on via Belle Arti (below). 

The Staccioli exhibit at the Baths of Carcalla closes September 30, 2018.   Bill

Staccioli's magnificent addition to the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna

Villa Glori: Interesting, if not Glorious.

A road ascending the Villa Glori hill 

If you've never heard of Villa Glori, you're not alone.  It's one of Rome's least known parks.  That's probably because it's much smaller than Villa Borghese or Villa Ada.  Or because it's poorly maintained.  Or because it's located quite far from the city center, in the northwest corner of Parioli.  Still, it's not far (less than a mile, perhaps) from a couple of Rome's new or newish attractions--the Parco della Musica and the modern art museum known as MAXXI--so if you're in that area, find your way up the hill (the park occupies one of Rome's steepest hills) to Villa Glori.





For centuries that hill was known mostly for its vineyards and for hunting.  Between 1908 and about 1950 its lower reaches were the site of a horse-racing track.  In 1923, the property--then belonging to the Boncompagni family--became a public park, dedicated to the Italians killed in the Great War.












It was then called the Parco della Rimembranza, and perhaps still is, by some.  A large stone monument to those war dead is still there, though it's seen better days.  One of the stones (below) lists the battle sites, including Gorizia and Vittorio Veneto.

In 1929 3 pavilions were built at the summit of the hill, to house summer camps for boys who were poor or at risk of tuberculosis.  In 1988 the buildings were redeveloped into a center for the treatment of AIDS.  We did not see the buildings (or maybe we did and failed to take notice).  Tell us if you find them.

More interesting:  in 1997 the city and Italian art critic Daniela Fonti developed an artistic loop in the park, showing off some contemporary sculpture; it was updated in 2001.  The photo below appears to be one of the sculptures.  We didn't see any others.

A stop on the sculpture percorso. 

Monument to Cairoli, the fallen, and
the expedition.  One of Rome's weirder
monuments.

More excitement to follow.  Villa Glori is undoubtedly best known for a battle that took place there in October, 1867.  At the time, Rome remained outside the confines of an (almost) unified Italy.  It was controlled by the French and the Papacy.  About 70 volunteers, part of Garibaldi's legion and led by Enrico Cairoli, marched from Terni in an attempt to liberate Rome.  They crossed the Tevere near the confluence with the Aniene and made their way to Villa Glori, where they occupied a large house on what was then known as Monte Parioli.  A large force of Swiss carabinieri and elements of the Papal army attacked the would-be liberators.  A hour of combat ensued, including two bayonet charges by the Garibaldini.   Enrico Cairoli died, as did his wounded brother Giovanni, two years later.  A column, erected in 1895 and still standing (in what now seems to be an asphalt parking lot), commemorates the Cairoli brothers and their fellow soldiers.  The Cairoli expendition is known as the Campagna dell'Agro Romano per la liberazione di Roma (the campaign of the countryside for the liberation of Rome).



The house occupied by the Garibaldini in 1867 is reputed to be still standing, though we can't confirm that.  What we can confirm is that the park is a place where Romans jog.  There is also a small but popular children's playground.  Londoners accustomed to the large, elaborate, and well-maintained children's park in Greenwich will not be impressed.  But Romans seem to like it.

Children's playground in Villa Glori.  The swings appear to be new.  

Bill