Site of grandeur

When sites of grandeur reach a certain level, they become religious. Which isn’t to say that visiting such places makes one believe more in Jesus or Buddha. Simply, the feeling that grips us is that of a certain undefined spirituality, the idea of a higher force drawing us upwards. This is the experience in Rome – without speaking about The Vatican- at the Galleria Borghese, long owned by the eponymous family who was proud to count Pope Paul V among its lineage.

Polychrome marble

The polychrome marble walls, stuccoes, frescoes, bronzes, sculptures by Bernini and Canova and the exceptional Renaissance painting collection, from Antonello da Messina to Titian… It’s a sight to take your breath away. But as sublime as the Villa Borghese is, most visitors go only once.

Caravaggio

To remedy such lack of faith, Francesca Cappelletti, the museum’s director—also curator of the impressive blockbuster exhibition “Caravaggio Rome 2025” finally closing on July 20—has decided to offer visitors a contemporary counterpoint to its collections every summer.

Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois, Galleria Borghese

Last year’s dialogue with Louise Bourgeois was stunningly beautiful and relevant (See the report here). This year, through September 14, the Galleria  unveils the work of Wangechi Mutu, an American-Kenyan artist (born in 1972) (Mutu declined to give interviews during the exhibition). For some years now, Black bodies and faces, after having long been absent from the iconography of global institutions, have finally been placed at the forefront.

After the Met

For instance, in 2019 Wangechi Mutu created an intervention on the facade of the neoclassical building of the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Now, at the entrance of the Roman museum, two statues by Mutu have been placed in niches where sculptures once stood, before being sold by Camillo Borghese to Napoleon in 1806.

Afrofuturism

These unusual bronze deities, which some describe as Afrofuturist, are the very same which previously stood in front of the New York museum. They resemble superheroines from a Hollywood film, yet they are inspired by East African aesthetics such as the lip-plate tradition.

Exploring the sacred

“There are different ways of exploring the sacred,” observes Francesca Cappelletti. “For the ancient Romans, for instance, it was connected to myths of transformation and to nature—an inspiration also found in Wangechi Mutu’s work.”

Cloé Perrone

According to exhibition curator Cloé Perrone, Mutu’s work does not compete with the opulent decor. “Everything is floating, like ghosts, without imposing any singular vision.” The work lives harmoniously alongside the palace’s opulence, since most of the exhibited pieces are made of luxurious materials like bronze.

Older sisters

The most accomplished  work is “Older Sisters,” composed of two female heads in dark metal that seem to be kissing. Their intricately styled hair resembles seashells. They rest on an 18th-century table by Luigi Valadier, whose mirrored surface reflects the pair from all angles.

Suspended Playtime

But the most spectacular work is composed of an array of black spheres suspended in the air, like meteorites. The piece is titled “Suspended Playtime,” referencing the makeshift balls that children in Kenya craft for play. The spirit of the site is so powerful, it transforms these allusions to the world of children into objects descended from the heavens.

That’s the magic of this exhibition: It invites the imagination to roam freely.

Wangechi Mutu: “Black Soil Poems.” Through September 14, 2025.