A SPECIAL EXHIBITION

The Federico II Foundation is proud to offer visitors and the media the opportunity to experience an absolute masterpiece of Renaissance art: the Risen Christ Carrying the Cross Giustiniani by Michelangelo Buonarroti. The work was finally revealed to the world on the occasion of the Exhibition on the Giustiniani Collection held in Rome in 2001, when archival research, notarial deeds, and inventories brought this ‘forgotten’ masterpiece back to global attention. The statue, located in its historic setting in the Sanctuary of Bassano Romano, has found its rightful place in a Chapel dedicated to it, under the careful and devoted guardianship of the Sylvestrine Benedictine Monks, owners of the Sanctuary.

The ‘black vein,’ the flaw that marked it from the very beginning, has never concealed the power of art and beauty bestowed upon it by its creator. On the contrary, it has served as a mysterious red thread guiding it through the centuries to our own time, making it even more cherished, like a prodigal son found again, a rough diamond hidden in the rock, or a shining soul concealed within each of us.
For the first time, Sicily welcomes a masterpiece by Michelangelo, displayed within the Royal Palace of Palermo, thanks to the dedicated work carried out by the entire staff of the Federico II Foundation, in close collaboration with the President and the Board of Directors, with the support of the Regional Assembly of Sicily (A.R.S.), the Ministry of Culture, and the Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria.
To grant the Royal Apartments the air, the aura of marble shaped by Michelangelo’s hands means enriching the value of this place and further preserving it for History through an undertaking of international significance.

Antonella Razete
Acting General Director and CFO of Federico II Foundation