The Vatican Museums are growing. Now, this unique collection of self-portraits widens the offer to the public. It is called "Io dipinto", meaning "The drawn self".
These are works by great artists of the late nineteenth and, above all, the first half of the twentieth century. Among them we can highlight, for example, this work by Giorgio de Chirico as well as great exponents of the Roman school. There are even works by Spanish artists such as José Ortega.
MICOL FORTI
XIX Century and Contemporary Art Area, Vatican Museums
The self-portrait has always been a test that measures the relationship with oneself before the public. It has been so for the artists of the twentieth century as for those of today. It is an artistic genre that relates what is inside with what is seen outside. What I am and what I would like others to see of me.
ROSALIA PAGLIARANI
19th Century and Contemporary Art Area, Vatican Museums
There is another theme, which is that of identity: what changes within oneself, and the question of the masks we put on in front of others is also addressed.
Masks used to pretend to be better than one really is lead to satirical self-portraits. This is a huge testing ground that brings into play different types of art and combines them with introspection or psychology.
All of these works have been donated to the Vatican Museums by the descendants of a private individual, the Roman entrepreneur Franco Nobili, who had a passion for this genre. His house was full of self-portraits.
Modern art lovers will find these works in this area of the Vatican Museums. It is an area special to Paul VI who, behind the initiative, wanted to encourage the dialogue of faith with modern art. It is therefore a space destined to grow with the passage of time.
TR: JD
