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Nike.
Sport and victory
The
exhibition ”
Nike.
Il gioco e la vittoria” opens in Rome, tracing the
history of competitive sport in the ancient world.
One theme that runs through the entire exhibition is
the different values attributed by the Greeks and
Romans to sport and victory, from the Olympics to
the gladiator challenges, from competitive sport as
part of the training and moulding
of
individuals-
with political and ethical implications - to
entertainment for the masses.
Seventy
works-
statues, vases, reliefs, mosaics and artefacts, the
tools of sport together with all the accoutrements
of sport found in the tombs of Lanuvio and Vulci -
recount the origins of the Olympics, the specialist
sports and the athletes' training, following an
exhibition itinerary that ranges from preparation to
the interior of the gymnasium, actual competition
and the awards ceremonies for the victors. Bringing
together works of art and classical literature, the
exhibition shows how in the ancient games, the only
thing that mattered was victory.
Opposite Greek models representing the quintessence
of the
competitive spirit, are striking, important
works that reveal the very different spirit
behind sporting events in Rome. The elegance of
Greek victors contrasts with the rough and raw
appearance of the boxers of the mosaics at the Terme
di Caracalla and Eleniane, showing how in Rome sport
was not a noble pursuit, but a moment of fun and
popular distraction, at times extreme, comparable to
the wild enthusiasm that surrounded the gladiator
fights at the Colosseum.
The exhibition opens with “Nike” of Naples and
includes prestigious and rarely-glimpsed works,
including “Runners
(Corridori)” a bronze from Villa dei Papiri in
Ercolano, here exhibited for the first time outside
the Naples museum, “Terme Boxer (Pugile delle
Terme)”, one of the most famous bronzes of ancient
times and a work which better than any other reveals
the other side of the games, namely the sacrifice
behind the athletes' hard training and the
difficulty of the struggle; lastly, the group of
“Wrestlers (Lottatori)” of Ostia, on show for
the first time following restoration work that has
enabled it to be interpreted in a new light.
The exhibition ends with works by some of the
greatest sculptors in the history of art,
considerate for centuries the paradigm of classical
antiquity: the “Discus Thrower (Discobolo)” by
Myron, “Cyniscus (Cinisco)”, “Diadumenus (Diadumeno)”
and “Doryphorus (Doriforo)” by Polyclitus.
The
choice of venue is significant: the event takes
place inside the Flavio Amphitheatre, an arena that
symbolizes sporting events for the masses,
underlining the chasm that separates the Greek and
Roman concepts of sport.
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Nike
Il gioco e la vittoria
Flavio Amphitheatre, Rome
from 4th July 2003 to 7th January 2004
Opening
times: from 9 am until one hour before sunset
from 04/07 to 31/8/2003, 9 am - 7.30 pm
from 01/09 to 30/9/20003, 9 am - 7 pm
from 01/10 to 28/10/2003, 9 am - 6.30 pm
from 29/10 to 31/12/2003, 9 am -4.30 pm
ticket prices: 10 euros, concessions 6 euros
EU citizens under 18 and over 65 2 euros
telephone: 06/39967700
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