Presentation of the restoration of Luigi Bienaimé’s Telemachus
Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 5:00 PM
Accademia Nazionale di San Luca, Rome
Speakers: Fabio Porzio Gabriella Caterini Carola Tavazzi
The restoration of Telemachus— the statue depicts the son of Ulysses and Penelope and is located at the entrance to the Academy—provides an important opportunity to explore the work of Luigi Bienaimé (Carrara 1795 – Rome 1878) and his relationship with the institution, where he was appointed professor of sculpture in 1844.
The project will reconstruct the history of the work (created around 1835). A replica was donated to the Carrara Academy and a marble version purchased in 1839 by Tsar Alexander II Romanov is now housed at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Particular attention will be paid to the study of the execution technique, the conservation history, and the restoration methods currently applied to the plaster surfaces, the work’s original material.
The restoration is made possible thanks to the valuable contribution of Pierluigi Toti, Cavaliere del Lavoro, and will be carried out by restorers Gabriella Caterini and Carola Tavazzi of Artificia Consorzio.
The restoration campaign is part of the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca’s long-standing tradition of protecting and enhancing its extraordinary artistic heritage.
The campaign was carried out in collaboration with LoveItaly, under the scientific supervision of Fabio Porzio, curator of the Accademia’s collection, and in agreement with the Special Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape of Rome.
Other planned restorations include Berthel Thorvaldsen’s Venere con Mela – included in Art Outside the Museum, an initiative promoted within the framework of the MOU between the Directorate General of Museums of the Ministry of Culture, LoveItaly, and Federalberghi Lazio, with the contribution of Hotel Nord Nuova Roma. The work, carried out by Cecilia Balzi and Rebecca Picca Orlandi, will restore the sculpture’s historical and artistic value and reintegrate it into the neoclassical exhibition of the Galleria dei Gessi, alongside the artist’s other works.
In addition, with the authorization of the Special Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape of Rome, the bas-reliefs Alexander in the Chariot (1812) and Priam Supplicating Achilles for the Return of the Body of Hector (1815) by Berthel Thorvaldsen, both donated to the Academy in 1844 by the artist’s executors, will be restored. This project was also made possible thanks to the valuable contribution of Pierluigi Toti and will be carried out by restorers Gabriella Caterini and Carola Tavazzi of Artificia Consortium.
Free admission while seats last.
