The painting at the center of the exhibition “The last moments of Giuseppe Mazzini" from Sylvester League, is a portrait of Mazzini portrayed a few hours before his death in all his fragile and composed humanity. The work is currently preserved in the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design in Providence (USA), and is exhibited at the Vittoriano thanks to the collaboration of the Ministry of Culture and the diplomatic commitment of the offices in direct collaboration with Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.
The exhibition
Set up on two floors, it presents over sixty objects, divided between sculptures, paintings, engravings, photographs, manuscripts, unpublished documents and Mazzinian memorabiliai: the relics include the glasses, the sword and the shawl, which previously belonged to Carlo Cattaneo.
The care of the exhibition is by Edith Gabrielli, the historical consultancy of Giuseppe Monsagrati, with the patronage of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, and is promoted and organized by the Ministry of Culture and VIVE, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Museums of the MiC, led by Massimo Osanna, and in agreement with the Institute for the History of the Italian Risorgimento, directed by Alessandro Campi.
"The Vittoriano, the House of the Italian Risorgimento, is the natural place to host the exhibition dedicated to Giuseppe Mazzini, who is the one who best embodied the values and personified the deeds of that historical founding process of the Nation. The extent of his commitment and his political stature have transcended the boundaries of Italian history to make him a leading exponent of Western thought, as demonstrated by the fact that The Last Moments of Giuseppe Mazzini by Silvestro Lega, the iconic symbol of this exhibition, comes from Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design in Providence where it is kept in the United States. The Ministry of Culture has worked to obtain the loan and, until 8 September, together with over sixty works, it will be exhibited for the benefit of the public who will thus be able to get closer to this great figure of our homeland”, declares the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano.
"The Vittoriano, home to the Altare della Patria, represents the most important monument that the Italian State has dedicated to the Risorgimento and therefore also to Giuseppe Mazzini. The legacy of Mazzini's values can be traced in many parts of the complex, such as the bronze sculptural groups depicting Thought and Action. Furthermore, it is also here, in the Vittoriano, that the Central Museum of the Risorgimento and the Institute for the history of the Italian Risorgimento are located: both house relics and Mazzinian documents of great importance. The choice of our Institute by the Ministry of Culture for the organization of an exhibition of such high importance is completely natural and has triggered an extraordinary network of collaborations with as many as fifteen museum institutes and bodies, among the main custodians of the legacy of two protagonists, Giuseppe Mazzini and Silvestro Lega. Lega knew Mazzini's thoughts from a young age: the artist became a follower of republican ideals and contributed to the cause on the battlefield and with his art. In designing and then painting this very innovative canvas, Lega followed a difficult and solitary path, like every great artist. In Italy, at first few people understood it, while abroad it was immediately accepted. Only with time did it become an icon of Mazzini and of our Risorgimento", he claims Edith Gabrielli, Director of VIVE- Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia.
The partners
The exhibition takes advantage of the agreement with some important institutions that preserve the memory of Giuseppe Mazzini and Silvestro Lega, such as the Library of Modern and Contemporary History of Rome, the Domus Mazziniana of Pisa, the Istituto Mazziniano-Museo del Risorgimento of Genoa , the Risorgimento Museum in Milan, the Risorgimento Museum in Pavia, the Municipality of Modigliana, the Diocese of Faenza-Modigliana and the Matteucci Institute of Viareggio.
The educational program offered
Furthermore, the exhibition offers an educational program aimed at all age groups: from guided tours dedicated to adults workshops for children and families aimed at deepening the knowledge of the figure of Giuseppe Mazzini and the Risorgimento period, on the other of Silvestro Lega and 800th century painting.
