He was referred to as “The Milanese Phidias”, but his services were required in Paris, Vienna, and Saint Petersburg. Pompeo Marchesi, a pupil of the great Antonio Canova and one of the key figures of 19th century sculpture, is the protagonist of a long-awaited exhibition at the GAM. The marvellous marble pieces and the precious terracottas speak of an artist poised between the two main tendencies of the time - Neoclassicism and Romanticism. The same is true of his collection, which includes pieces by sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, by his friend the painter Francesco Hayez, and the exclusive plaster statue Ebe by Canova, the only one preserved outside the Plaster Cast Gallery of Possagno. The exhibition highlights Marchesi's ties to Milan, where he taught at the Brera Academy and worked on significant construction projects, like the Arch of Peace and Milan Cathedral. His atelier, a magical treasure trove frescoed by Hayez, was one the most esteemed and popular art spaces in Milan, regularly visited by kings, nobles, and writers. Stendhal mentions it in his novel The Charterhouse of Parma, and describes Marchesi as “the trendy sculptor of Milan''. When his studio was destroyed, Milan citizens held a public subscription to fund its rebuilding. In return, he left his belongings to the city, where they constituted the first core of Milan’s public collection. For the first time, Marchesi’s entire legacy is now displayed in an unique location, drawing a complete profile of the great sculptor.
