Through 130 carefully selected artifacts from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the Luxor Museum, Treasures of the Pharaohs offers rare insights into the daily life, social structures, religious practices, and legacies of the Egyptian pharaohs. Three thousand years of ancient Egyptian history are presented through an array of dazzling royal treasures expertly crafted from gold, granite, lapis lazuli, and other precious materials, along with objects that reveal the inner workings of this sophisticated civilization that continues to intrigue, influence, and inspire the modern world. Treasures of the Pharaohs will be on view at the Kimbell from March 14 through September 19, 2027, in the museum’s Renzo Piano Pavilion.

Armchair of Princess Sitamun, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of
Amenhotep III (c. 1386–1349 BC). Gilded wood and reed, 30 1/4 x 20 1/2 x
21 1/4 in. (77 x 52 x 54 cm). Royal tomb, Tell el-Amarna. Egyptian Museum
in Cairo
Photograph by Massimo Listri

“Treasures of the Pharaohs will awe,” said Eric M. Lee, the museum’s director. “From the scale and splendor of some of the artifacts on view to the revelations about day-to-day life and inclusion of objects from one of the most recently excavated sites in Egypt, visitors will find this exhibition brilliant, both visually and intellectually.”

The exhibition paints an unparalleled picture of the lives of the pharaohs, from the grandeur surrounding their kingship, deity worship, and elaborate preparations for the afterlife, to the strict hierarchies and day-to-day routines of the people around them—a highly organized bureaucracy critical to maintaining Egypt’s divine kingship. Key aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization are explored through six thematic sections: The Treasures of the Pharaohs; People Around the Pharaohs; Religion and Beliefs: The World of Gods and Goddesses; Daily Life in Ancient Egypt; The Golden City; and Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt.

Akhenaten and His Family Worshipping the God Aten, New Kingdom,
Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten (c. 1353–1336 BC).
Painted limestone, 20 1/2 x 18 7/8 in. (52 x 48 cm). Royal tomb, Tell el-
Amarna. Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Photograph by Massimo Listri

Objects that proclaim the pharaohs’ power and status range from monumental granite statues to elegantly designed gold jewelry and richly decorated furnishings. In contrast to royal art, newly discovered artifacts from King Amenhotep’s workers’ community within the “Golden City” in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings will be introduced to North America for the first time, providing a glimpse into the lives of those often overlooked in presentations of ancient Egyptian art history. Statues representing various deities, carved and painted stone funerary stele, and lavishly decorated sarcophagi and other exquisite tomb furnishings convey the religious beliefs that shaped the Egyptian understanding of the world and the afterlife.

Pectoral Pendant of Amenemope, Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 21
(c. 1069–945 BC). Gold, lapis lazuli, feldspar, and glass, 3 3/4 x 4 5/8 in.
(9.6 x 11.6 cm). Tomb of Amenemope, Tanis. Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Photograph by Massimo Listri

Highlights include works directly associated with pharaohs and their families, dating from Dynasty I (c. 3100 BC) to the Ptolemaic period (321 BC). Among them are some made in precious metal: the golden sarcophagus of Queen Ahhotep, the gold funerary mask of Amenemope, the golden sarcophagus of Thuya, the gold funerary covering of Pharaoh Psusennes I, the gold collar of Psusennes I, the painted and gilded wooden Canopic Box of Yuya with Sloping Lid on a Sled, and the gilded wooden chair of Princess Sitamun. Sculptures in stone are also represented, including the carved schist Menkaure Triad and the limestone relief of Akhenaten and His Family. A rare manuscript, the Hieroglyphic Funerary Papyrus of the Songstress of Amoun Djedkhonsuiusankh, is also featured.

Treasures of the Pharaohs is currently on view at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, where it is on track to become one of the most highly attended exhibitions in the museum’s history.  After its close in Rome on June 14, 2026, the exhibition will be on view at the de Young museum in San Francisco from August 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027, prior to its presentation in Fort Worth.

Inty-Shedu, Overseer of the Boat of the Goddess Neith, Old Kingdom, late
Dynasty 4 or early Dynasty 5 (c. 2613–2345 BC). Painted limestone, 29 1/2
x 10 1/4 x 10 5/8 in. (75 x 26 x 27 cm). Upper cemetery of the Pyramid
Builders Necropolis, southeast of the Sphinx, Giza, Cairo. Egyptian
Museum in Cairo
Photograph by Massimo Listri

The exhibition curator is Dr. Tarek el-Awady, former director of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The exhibition is accompanied by a major scholarly catalogue by Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass. The exhibition’s presentation at the Kimbell is organized by Jennifer Casler Price, senior curator of Asian, African, and ancient American art.

“These remarkable works offer a broad perspective on the lives of the pharaohs and those who served them,” said Casler Price. “From stunning treasures that convey the power and awe of divine kings, to the humble yet fascinating objects of everyday life, this exhibition illuminates the glory and wonder of ancient Egyptian civilization.”

EXHIBITION ORGANIZATION

The exhibition is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), in collaboration with ALES SpA, the in-house company of the Italian Ministry of Culture, and MondoMostre.

SUPPORT

Promotional support for the Kimbell Art Museum and its exhibitions is provided by American Airlines, NBC 5, and Fort Worth Report. Additional support is provided by Arts Fort Worth and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Admission to the museum’s permanent collection is always free. Admission to special exhibitions is half-price all day on Tuesdays and after 5 p.m. on Fridays.

The Kimbell Art Museum is open Tuesdays through Thursdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Fridays, noon–8 p.m.; Sundays, noon–5 p.m.; closed Mondays, New Year’s Day, Juneteenth, July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For general information, call 817-332-8451.

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“Black Photojournalism continues the Carter’s commitment to providing a more comprehensive view of American artistic expression,” said Scott Wilcox, Interim Director of the Carter. “This exhibition not only celebrates the artistry and vision of these photojournalists but also amplifies the stories and communities that have often been underrepresented in the history of American media and art. We are grateful to Carnegie Museum of Art for organizing this exhibition and to the many photographers, publishers, and archives whose work allows us to share these powerful images with Fort Worth audiences.”

From the rise of Black-owned media following World War II to the civil rights movement and beyond, these images showcase the vital contributions of Black photojournalists in shaping how people saw themselves and their communities. Their photographs not only documented moments of social change but also captured the vibrancy of daily life, offering a fuller and more nuanced portrayal of Black experiences in America. Together, these works underscore how photojournalism served as both a record of history and a tool for empowerment.

Kwame Brathwaite (American, 1938-2023);Changing Times;ca. 1973, printed 2025;inkjet print;sheet: 60 × 60 in. (152.4 × 152.4 cm);The Kwame Brathwaite Archive;BPJ.2025.997

“Black Photojournalism is a rich and unprecedented opportunity to see how Black photographers persistently and imaginatively captured Black life in the history-making decades of the post-World War II era,” said Charles Wylie, Curator of Photographs at the Carter. “Carnegie Museum of Art has created an extraordinary experience for visitors that breaks new ground with a much fuller look than ever before at how Black life was represented in the vibrant Black press. A special feature will be the chance to see how well-known artists such as Kwame Brathwaite, Gordon Parks, Ming Smith, and Shawn Walker, among many, produced photographs for the pages of Black media outlets that have now achieved iconic status as works of art.”

Drawn from archives and collections across the country, the original photography prints in Black Photojournalism reveal the tireless efforts of Black publishers, photographers, and news professionals who built groundbreaking editorial methods and networks during a time of urgent social change. Newspapers and magazines such as the Afro American News, Atlanta Daily World, Chicago Defender, Ebony, and Pittsburgh Courier offered powerful new ways for Black readers to see themselves and their communities, transforming the media landscape in ways that continue to resonate today.

The exhibition is arranged chronologically, with sections organized by decade. These sections include:

Charles “Teenie” Harris (1908–1998), A Pittsburgh Courier press operator, possibly William Brown, printing newspapers, possibly for a Midwestern edition, 1954, inkjet print, Carnegie Museum of Art, Heinz Family Fund, 2001.35.3136, © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

·       1940s–1950s: America After the War

Taking its title from Langston Hughes’s 1943 column in the Chicago Defender, this section reflects the hopes and dreams of Black Americans in the aftermath of World War II. Black photojournalists documented not only the persistence of racial inequities—segregation, economic disparity, and limited opportunities—but also moments of joy, family life, and community resilience. This era saw the rise of Black-owned newspapers and magazines, including Ebony and the Pittsburgh Courier, which foregrounded Black experiences for Black audiences. Together, the photographs and publications in this section, including important work by Austin Hansen, Charles “Teenie” Harris, Moneta Sleet, Jr., and Gordon Parks, highlight the innovative networks and editorial methods that shaped Black media in mid-century America.

Moneta Sleet Jr. (1926–1996), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. enroute to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, 1964, gelatin silver print, Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of the Johnson Publishing Company, 402:1991, © Johnson Publishing Company Archive, Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; Made possible by the Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Smithsonian Institution

·       1960s: Black Is Beautiful

This section documents a transformative era of liberation, expression, and hope. The 1960s brought both social upheaval and cultural affirmation, as Black Americans embraced identity, heritage, and political activism. Photographers in this decade, including Guy Crowder, Chester Higgins, and Ernest Withers, captured civil-rights milestones alongside everyday community life, showing how collective action and cultural pride intertwined.

While iconic images of protest often came from White-owned media, Black photojournalists offered nuanced perspectives, emphasizing the creativity, solidarity, and resilience that defined the fight for equity.

Ming Smith (b. 1953), America Seen Through Stars and Stripes, New York City, NY, ca. 1973, gelatin silver print, Carnegie Museum of Art, Margaret M. Vance Fund, 2017.19.5, © Ming Smith. By permission

·       1970s: Can You Dig It?

The 1970s were marked by cultural innovation, political engagement, and a celebration of Black life across the arts and media. Photojournalists documented the influence of Black Power, the Black Panther Party, and the emergence of blaxploitation films like Gordon Parks’s Shaft (1971), reflecting a society attuned to both struggle and style. This section captures the vibrancy of music, fashion, and daily life as seen in works by Kwame Brathwaite, such as Jacksons on Boat from Gorée Island (ca. 1974) and Changing Times (ca. 1973). Also included are moments of protest and progress, emphasizing creativity as both expression and resistance, as is seen in Ming Smith’s America Seen Through Stars and Stripes, New York (ca. 1973). Together, these images reveal how Black communities claimed space, culture, and visibility in a rapidly changing world.

Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe (b. 1951), Josette’s Wedding, Queens, New York, 1981, gelatin silver print, Carnegie Museum of Art, the William Talbott Hillman Fund for Photography, 2023.50.1, © Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe

·       1980s: Keep Hope Alive

Named after Jesse Jackson’s 1988 campaign slogan, this section reflects the complex realities of Black life in the 1980s, a decade shaped by systemic disenfranchisement, the war on drugs, and mass incarceration. Black photojournalists including Adger Cowans, Bruce Talamon, and Deborah Willis-Ryan documented both the challenges of the era and moments of joy, from weddings and parades to intimate family gatherings, showing the endurance of community and spirit. These images underscore how Black media continued to affirm identity, resilience, and hope in the face of adversity. Through this work, the decade’s triumphs and trials are preserved in a rich, nuanced visual record.

The Carter’s presentation of the exhibition also features a distinctive Fort Worth component developed in collaboration with the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society (TCBHGS). This partnership includes a dedicated presentation of ephemera and photographs from the TCBHGS archive, highlighting how our local Black media uniquely documented everyday life, community events, and historic milestones across North Texas from the postwar era through the mid-1980s. Voices from the TCBHGS are also featured in the Carter’s first exhibition audio guide on Bloomberg Connects, a free digital platform from Bloomberg Philanthropies that offers interactive content and interpretive insights, further deepening the exhibition’s connection to our local history and community perspectives.

Kwame Brathwaite (1938–2023), Changing Times, ca. 1973, inkjet print, The Kwame Brathwaite Archive, © Kwame Brathwaite

Black Photojournalism is organized by Carnegie Museum of Art. The exhibition is designed by artist David Hartt, and is co-organized by Dan Leers, curator of photography, and Charlene Foggie-Barnett, Charles “Teenie” Harris community archivist, in dialogue with an expanded network of scholars, archivists, curators, and historians. Significant support for this exhibition has been provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Black Photojournalism has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. In-kind support for this exhibition has been provided by Herman Miller.

The Carter’s presentation of this exhibition is supported in part by the Leo Potishman Foundation, The David H. Gibson Foundation and the Alice L. Walton Foundation Temporary Exhibitions Endowment. In-kind support provided by the Fort Worth Report.

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“We are excited to welcome visitors to Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers. This presentation, a rich collaboration between the artist and the exhibition curators, visually brings to life Johnson’s path to self-discovery from a young age and his deep personal and cultural reflections over the last thirty years. We are honored to partner with the Guggenheim New York in presenting this extraordinary exhibition.”

Halona Norton-Westbrook, Ph.D., Director, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

For nearly three decades, Rashid Johnson has cultivated a multidisciplinary approach to artmaking while drawing upon art history, philosophy, literature, and music as conceptual frameworks. Over this time, Johnson has developed a distinct visual language that engages with central themes and questions that reflect on his story and contemporary life in general, such as race, masculinity, empathy for others, self-care, family, sobriety, and his own, and each of our inner emotional lives.

Rashid Johnson, “Untitled Escape Collage,” 2018. Ceramic tile, mirror tile, branded red oak flooring, vinyl, spray enamel, oil stick, black soap, wax. 97 x 73 x 2 1/2 inches. © Rashid Johnson

The exhibition’s title, A Poem for Deep Thinkers, takes its name from a poem by Amiri Baraka, an American poet, writer, teacher, and political activist whose work is a frequent source of inspiration for Johnson. Tracing Johnson’s trajectory from his early experiments in photography and video to his recent materially complex paintings and assemblages, this presentation brings together nearly ninety works spanning pivotal phases of the artist’s career. A site-specific installation, an outdoor sculpture, and two works activated through live performance are highlights within the exhibition.

A Poem for Deep Thinkers is cocurated by Naomi Beckwith, Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, New York, and Andrea Karnes, Chief Curator of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, with additional support from Faith Hunter, Curatorial Assistant, Guggenheim New York.

“Rashid Johnson is a singular creative force whose work bridges art history with Black contemporary culture and culture at large, creating powerful spaces for reflection and dialogue. It has been a profound honor to work closely with Rashid, Naomi Beckwith, and the Guggenheim to bring this important exhibition to our community in Fort Worth.”

Andrea Karnes, Exhibition Cocurator and Chief Curator, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Modern Exhibition Lecture Series

Rashid Johnson in conversation with Chief Curator Andrea Karnes

March 6, 6 pm

In addition to the artist’s talk, A Poem for Deep Thinkers will feature dynamic live performance programming in collaboration with community partners. The performance programs will include readings and literary connections, comedy, poetry, theater, music, and open mics, bringing the exhibition to life as a place for creative expressions and audience participation.

Many of the Modern’s youth-focused educational opportunities will center on the exhibition A Poem for Deep Thinkers. The ongoing public events include special tours and drawing programs, our spring break events and summer camps, and partnerships for middle and high school students through Fort Worth ISD and local youth-serving agencies.

Details of performances, events, and educational programs will be announced at a later date; please visit www.themodern.org/calendar for additional information.

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Organized by the National Portrait Gallery, London, this exhibition brings together nearly 50 works made throughout the artist’s career. The exhibition is broadly chronological in scope and traces the development of Saville’s practice from the 1990s to today. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is proud to be the only U.S. venue for this important exhibition.

“We are honored that the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will be the exclusive U.S. venue for Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting, giving our community and visitors to Fort Worth a remarkable opportunity to experience and learn from the breadth of this celebrated artist’s work. We enthusiastically invite everyone to join us for this stunning exhibition and engaging programs that draw connections in dialogue with the Modern’s Collection.”

Halona Norton-Westbrook, Ph.D.
Director of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Highlighting key artworks, from monumental oil paintings to smaller-scale charcoal drawings, the exhibited works reveal the inventiveness of Saville’s practice. Curated by Sarah Howgate, Senior Curator of Contemporary Collections at the National Portrait Gallery, London, with consultation by Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth Chief Curator Andrea Karnes, this survey was created in close collaboration with the artist to explore her deep passion for the painting process, including drawing as a cornerstone.

Latent, 2020-2022 by Jenny Saville © Jenny Saville, Courtesy The George Economou Collection

Rising to prominence in the 1990s, Saville has played a leading role in reinvigorating figurative painting. Her works reveal a deep awareness of art history and the ways in which the body has been represented over time and across cultures. While inspired by great artists, like Michelangelo and Rembrandt, and influenced by modern masters like Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, Saville is also intrigued by the work of abstract artists, including Willem de Kooning and Cy Twombly.

Saville’s early figurative representations were captivating in their depictions of heads and bodies. The exhibition reunites some of the paintings the artist created while still at the Glasgow School of Art, including ground-breaking works that launched her into the spotlight. The bold and intense aesthetic of these early paintings prefigures Saville’s later work and her ongoing interest in flesh and anatomy.

In addition to Saville’s painted forms, Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting includes a number of drawings that are intimate and almost sculptural in appearance. Using charcoal, pastel, and pencil, the medium of drawing has remained important to Saville’s practice, providing an important outlet for experimentation.

Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting concludes with the artist’s most recent series of new “portraits,“ which illustrate the evolution in her presentations of flesh. While her distinct style is maintained, these works fall between the figurative and the abstract. Rendered in saturated tones, for Saville, these paintings make connections between the physical and virtual in our contemporary age.

“It has been a profound honor to work closely with Jenny Saville, Sarah Howgate, and the National Portrait Gallery, London. Saville’s paintings are rich with emotion and physicality—raw and poetic in equal measure. They push the boundaries of figurative painting and offer a powerful meditation on the human condition. We are privileged to present this exhibition in Fort Worth, with the addition of eleven major U.S. loans.”

Andrea Karnes
Chief Curator, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Reverse, 2002-2003 by Jenny Saville, Private Collection © Jenny Saville, Courtesy Gagosian

“Jenny Saville is one of the most important artists working today. This exhibition charts an exciting journey, from the early monumental paintings I remember well from her Young British Artists III exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in 1994, to her recent ‘portraits’ for the 21st century. Walking a tightrope between figuration and abstraction, the exhibition celebrates and delights in the nature of paint itself. It has been a privilege to work closely with Jenny Saville on The Anatomy of Painting.”

Sarah Howgate
Exhibition Curator and Senior Curator Contemporary Collections,
National Portrait Gallery

Jenny Saville was born in 1970 in Cambridge, England. She received her B.A. Honors Fine Art from Glasgow School of Art, Scotland before being represented by Gagosian in 1997.

Saville is known for her depictions of the human form, which transcend the boundaries of both classical figuration and modern abstraction. Saville has been credited with originating a new and challenging method of depicting the figure in her work by imbuing her monumental paintings with a sculptural yet elusive dimensionality that verges on the abstract.

Saville’s works are featured in several public collections, including the Tate, London; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Broad, Los Angeles; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Morgan Library & Museum, New York; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle; Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; and The Long Museum, Shanghai. In 2007, Saville was elected a Royal Academician, Royal Academy of Arts, London.

The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive publication of the same name, which includes texts from Emanuele Coccia, Dr Nicholas Cullinan, John Elderfield, Roxane Gay, and Andrea Karnes, as well as a conversation between Saville and the exhibition’s curator, Sarah Howgate. The catalogue is available at the Modern Shop and online at www.shop.themodern.org.

PROGRAMS

Modern Exhibition Lecture Series
Artist Jenny Saville
October 10, 6 pm

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“The opportunity to bring large-scale works of ancient Roman sculpture to the American public is extremely rare, and we at the Kimbell are grateful to Fondazione Torlonia for creating this once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Eric Lee, director of the Kimbell Art Museum. “This is the first exhibition of ancient Roman sculpture in the Kimbell’s fifty-three-year history and is all the more exciting because the legendary Torlonia Collection has been largely unseen for the last seventy years.”

Established during the course of the nineteenth century by the Franco-Italian banker Prince Giovanni Torlonia (1754–1829) and his son Prince Alessandro (1800–1886), the Torlonia Collection was handed down over generations, eventually growing into the largest private collection of ancient Roman sculptures. This veritable “collection of collections” was assembled through acquisitions from prominent collections of Roman patrician families and from excavations undertaken on the family’s own estates throughout Italy. By 1876, Prince Alessandro Torlonia created a museum to house and exhibit the family’s impressive holdings of ancient marbles. The Museo Torlonia was open to small groups until its closure at the onset of World War II. During this closure, Fondazione Torlonia was created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017) for the continued study and conservation of both the collection and the Villa Albani Torlonia, a monumental complex and one of the highest expressions of eighteenth-century taste. The sculptures remained largely unseen by the public until Fondazione Torlonia’s first exhibition, at the Musei Capitolini in Rome in 2020. Myth and Marble comes to North America after a recent exhibition of the Torlonia Collection drew unprecedented audiences at the Louvre in Paris.

Portus Relief, Roman, Imperial Period (2nd–3rd
century AD), marble. Torlonia Collection, Rome.
© Fondazione Torlonia. Photo by Lorenzo De Masi

The works on view at the Kimbell were made between the late fifth century BC and the early fourth century AD, with most dating to the High Imperial period (first–second centuries AD). Visitors will see examples of the most emblematic genres of ancient marble sculpture, including large-scale figures of gods, goddesses, and mythic heroes, vivid portraits of emperors and their families, and magnificent funerary monuments. Half of the sculptures have been newly cleaned, conserved, and studied specifically for this North American presentation.

Portrait of a Young Woman, known as the Maiden
of Vulci, Roman, late Republican Period (mid-1st
century BC), marble. Torlonia Collection, Rome.
© Fondazione Torlonia. Photo by Lorenzo De Masi

The exhibition is organized thematically into six sections. Upon entering the Kimbell’s special exhibition galleries, visitors will first encounter three Icons of the Torlonia Collection, including the mid-first-century BC Portrait of a Young Woman, known as the Maiden of Vulci. This is among the earlier and best-known works in the Torlonia Collection, providing a singular representation of Roman female portraiture from the early Augustan era. This and other portraits on view convey the striking naturalism that is a hallmark of ancient Roman sculpture and that viewers will come to appreciate throughout the exhibition.

Next, Ideal Bodies and Model Behavior introduces visitors to depictions of myriad deities from the broader Roman world. This section illustrates how, as it expanded, the Roman Empire increasingly embraced aspects of Greek culture, both in its mythology and its visual language, cementing a shared Greco-Roman cultural heritage. The Statue of a Goddess, known as the Hestia Giustiniani, one of the most important works in the collection, is also one of the very few Roman versions of the classical Greek “severe” style in existence and is the largest and most intact sculpture of its type.

Statue of a Goddess, known as the Hestia Giustiniani,
Roman, Imperial Period, Hadrianic Era (first half of
2nd century AD), marble. Torlonia Collection, Rome.
© Fondazione Torlonia. Photo by Lorenzo De Masi

Strategies of Succession displays second-century AD emperors and their imperial families, including a remarkable selection of female portraits. These stunningly realistic portrait sculptures, the likes of which would have permeated public and private spaces in the ancient world, functioned much as mass media does today. Visitors will recognize the names of rulers such as Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, and Septimius Severus, whose marble busts at once convey their likenesses, deliver overt political propaganda, and communicate subtle messages of power, authority, and identity.

Not a single work on view in Myth and Marble looks today as it did when it left the ancient artist’s workshop, whether through the wear and tear of time or by the hands of generations of art restorers. Restoration and Reconstruction spotlights sculptures that have been altered over the centuries—sometimes into nearly new works altogether—reflecting how collectors from the Renaissance through the nineteenth century preferred unfragmented objects to decorate their villas and estates. Intact portrait heads were regularly placed on newly carved busts in the past, and sometimes unrelated elements were assembled into wholly new works of art. The Rondanini-Type Medusa on a Trapezophoros (Table Leg) with a Griffin’s Head, for instance, was created through the assembly of two otherwise distinct, ancient sculptural fragments: a Medusa head joined to a Griffin-headed table leg. Sometimes great artists were engaged to update or perfect ancient fragments. For example, a mundane sculpture of a reclining ram was entirely transformed, made glorious with the addition of an exuberant head carved by the famed Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini around 1620.

As one of the largest landowners in nineteenth-century Rome, Prince Alessandro Torlonia hired archaeologists to excavate some of his own estates, notably a tract along the Via Appia Antica, which was a major ancient thoroughfare near Rome, and a property at Portus, once ancient Rome’s main harbor. Torlonia Excavations displays remarkable discoveries from these excavations, including an Attic Votive Relief from the fifth century BC, which is the only Greek sculpture in the exhibition and the earliest work in the entire Torlonia Collection. The Portus Relief offers a rare representation of the place where it was found, combining elements of the architectural and commercial landscape with symbolic motifs and deities.

Sarcophagus Depicting the Labors of Hercules and
Lid with Reclining Couple, Roman, Imperial Period
(second half of 2nd century AD), marble. Torlonia
Collection, Rome. © Fondazione Torlonia. Photo
by Lorenzo De Masi

Myth and Marble closes with Death and Remembrance, reflecting a major strength of the Torlonia Collection: funerary monuments. These superb carvings underscore the longstanding Roman tradition of commemorating the dead and visually memorializing their likenesses and personal identities in marble, to be publicly displayed and visited by generations of descendants. Several extraordinary sarcophagi (stone coffins) such as the Sarcophagus Depicting the Labors of Hercules and Lid with Reclining Couple are among the largest sculpted works in marble to survive from ancient Rome.

“Each of these exceptional sculptures has lived many lives over the centuries,” said Jennifer Casler Price, senior curator of Asian, African, and ancient American art at the Kimbell Art Museum and curator of the exhibition for the Kimbell. “Reaching across space and time, connecting the past with the present, these powerful works still resonate with us today. We are thrilled to be able to share their fascinating stories with our visitors and to bring these magnificent ambassadors from Rome to Texas.”

“Fondazione Torlonia is excited to be sharing the Torlonia Collection with audiences in North America for the first time. This exceptional group of ancient sculptures is a testament to the enduring cultural legacy of ancient Rome, as well as the vision and passion of multiple generations of the Torlonia family,” said Alessandro Poma Murialdo, president of Fondazione Torlonia.

“By sharing these rare masterpieces with the public, Fondazione Torlonia aims to deepen appreciation for and foster a renewed connection with the artistic achievements of the ancient world,” said Carlotta Loverini Botta, director of Fondazione Torlonia. “The universal spirit that has always informed classical art must continue to be nurtured for generations to come. It is a universal language that thrives on the ongoing reinvention of the classics through engagement with modern culture.”

Statue of a Resting Goat, Roman, Imperial Period,
Trajanic Era (body: late 1st century; head: attributed
to Gian Lorenzo Bernini [1598–1680]), marble.
Torlonia Collection, Rome. © Fondazione Torlonia.
Photo by Lorenzo De Masi

The Kimbell Art Museum is open Tuesdays through Thursdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Fridays, noon–8 p.m.; and Sundays, noon–5 p.m. It is closed Mondays, New Year’s Day, Juneteenth, July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For general information, call 817-332-8451.

Fondazione Torlonia came into being at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia, with the aim of preserving and promoting the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia, one of the highest expressions of eighteenth-century taste. Together they constitute a “cultural heritage of the Family for humanity” to be handed down to future generations.

The Torlonia Collection is the most important private collection of ancient Roman sculptures in the world. Comprising 622 works and a wide range of sculptural types and subjects, its holdings rival those of major institutions in Europe, including the Capitoline and Vatican Museums.

United by a shared passion for art and collecting, Fondazione Torlonia and Fondazione Bvlgari have joined forces to undertake the conservation of the Torlonia marbles, ensuring the continued relevance of their historic and aesthetic value and safeguarding these masterpieces for future study. This enduring partnership has seen the Roman Maison serve as the main sponsor for the restoration of over 150 statues from the collection to date, as part of an initiative aimed at raising awareness of the vital study and conservation work carried out by Fondazione Torlonia in the Laboratori Torlonia (Torlonia Workshops). For more information, visit www.fondazionetorlonia.org.

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