The Hindu : International : Sculptures to go on show

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Friday, Sep 03, 2004

International

International

Sculptures to go on show

Rome: A private collection of classic sculpture, said to be the biggest in the world, is to go on public view after being hidden for 40 years in a Roman basement. The Torlonia marbles include more than 600 statues and tombs, among them 100 contemporary representations of emperors and their families. An official spokesman confirmed a report in the Corriere della Sera that quoted the Culture Minister, Giuliano Urbani, as saying a deal was about to be signed between the aristocratic Torlonia family and a savings bank foundation. He said the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Roma aimed to put the entire collection on display in a palace on the Via del Corso in the heart of Rome. It was not clear whether the foundation had agreed to buy the collection or fund its exhibition under a more complex deal. But any deal would represent the biggest victory so far in a campaign by Silvio Berlusconi's Government to secure greater private sector involvement in the arts. The marbles once filled what a distinguished critic, the late Federico Zeri, called ``the most important private museum of ancient sculpture in the world.'' — © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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