OSAKA–A work of art from the classical era that drew huge crowds at Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 will not return to Italy when the event closes on Oct. 13, but go on show at another museum here until around mid-January.
The Farnese Atlas, a second-century marble sculpture of Atlas holding up a celestial globe, has been drawing long lines at the Italy Pavilion.
The Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts is organizing a special exhibition “Atlante Farnese and the Treasures of the Italy Pavilion from the EXPO 2025 Osaka” from Oct. 25 that features the Roman statue as well as a painting by the Renaissance artist Pietro Perugino that was also on display at the expo.
In addition, engineering sketches by Leonardo da Vinci will be displayed in Japan for the first time.
The sculpture, one of the centerpieces of the Italy Pavilion’s theme of “Art Regenerates Life,” is on loan from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
The special exhibition will continue until Jan. 12.
(This article was written by Kensaku Nishida and Akina Nishi.)
AloJapan.com