{"id":9301,"date":"2026-07-15T09:31:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T13:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/?p=9301"},"modified":"2026-07-15T10:27:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:27:30","slug":"the-magnificent-head-of-ulysses-from-emperor-tiberiuss-villa-in-sperlonga-to-miamis-patricia-phillip-frost-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/news\/dal_consolato\/2026\/07\/the-magnificent-head-of-ulysses-from-emperor-tiberiuss-villa-in-sperlonga-to-miamis-patricia-phillip-frost-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"The Magnificent \u201cHead of Ulysses\u201d: From Emperor Tiberius\u2019s Villa in Sperlonga to Miami\u2019s Patricia & Phillip Frost Museum until July 19, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The display in Miami at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum of <\/strong>the Head of Ulysses<\/em> (1st century BC \u2013 1st century AD), an extraordinary archaeological artifact that is particularly representative of Italy\u2019s and Europe\u2019s cultural identity, is drawing to a close.<\/strong> The exhibition, coordinated and organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Miami<\/strong><\/a>, stems from a loan agreement between the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Ministry of Culture \u2013 Regional Directorate of National Museums of Lazio.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Head of Ulysses<\/em>, from the Group of the Blinding of Polyphemus, comes from the Archaeological Park of the Villa of Tiberius and the National Archaeological Museum of Sperlonga (Latina).<\/p>\n

The Villa of Tiberius (Roman emperor from AD 14 to 37) was brought to light in the second half of the 1950s during the construction of the Terracina\u2013Gaeta coastal road. Thousands of marble fragments were recovered from the circular basin inside the grotto located at the far end of the imperial complex. The decorative program of the grotto\u2014commissioned by Tiberius, known for his reputation as a collector and lover of the arts\u2014was divided into sculptural groups (four of which have been identified to date) and created a highly theatrical mythological landscape centered on the figure of Ulysses and his exploits.<\/p>\n

The Head of Ulysses<\/em> belonged to the group depicting the Blinding of Polyphemus, the episode from the Odyssey<\/em> in which the Homeric hero and his companions manage to pierce the Cyclops\u2019 eye and escape. The head, a work of extraordinary expressive power\u2014with its tangled, unkempt beard, long locks of hair, furrowed brow, and prominent frontal arches\u2014demonstrates exceptional artistic mastery. Traces of paint on the cloak of the body associated with the head indicate that the entire sculptural group was once vividly colored.<\/p>\n

Accompanied by an immersive video about the museum and the archaeological park of Sperlonga, the sculpture is on view with free admission until July 19, 2026, at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University (FIU).<\/strong> For further information on opening days and hours, visitors may consult the museum\u2019s website<\/a>. The initiative coincides with the weeks leading up to the release of the highly anticipated U.S. film The Odyssey<\/em> (2026), based on Homer\u2019s epic poem.<\/p>\n

Alongside the exhibition of the Head of Ulysses<\/strong>, an innovative Italian project is being presented at the\u00a0Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator<\/strong>\u00a0at\u00a0Florida International University (FIU).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and curated by Magister Art, the project features\u00a0a replica of the original sculpture<\/strong>\u00a0from the National Archaeological Museum of Sperlonga, produced using robotic technology.<\/strong>\u00a0The replica was reproduced using Robotor, a cutting-edge Italian robotic system capable of\u00a0carving marble, stone, concrete, and composite materials<\/strong>\u00a0from a 3D scan of the original artwork. By combining digital surveying, 3D modeling, and automated carving, the process demonstrates how technological innovation and the sculptural tradition can engage in a mutually enriching dialogue. In recent years, internationally renowned contemporary artists and designers \u2013 including Jeff Koons, Barry X Ball, Francesco Vezzoli, Vanessa Beecroft, Giuseppe Penone, Zaha Hadid, and Maurizio Cattelan \u2013 have experimented with this pioneering technology.<\/p>\n

Conceived for the Italy-US Business, Investment, Science and Innovation Forum, the initiative demonstrates how advanced technologies, employing tools of extraordinary precision, can open new possibilities for the study, reproduction, and enhancement of cultural heritage. By placing the robotic reproduction in dialogue with the ancient masterpiece, the project creates a compelling encounter between memory and technology, tradition and innovation. It also serves as a metaphor for the partnership between Italy and the United States: on one hand, Italy\u2019s excellence in transforming cultural heritage into innovation; on the other, the technological and entrepreneurial vision of the United States in the fields of art and design, embodied by the Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator. The project celebrates this convergence, presenting a shared perspective in which\u00a0art, culture, science, and enterprise<\/strong>\u00a0shape new pathways between memory and the future.<\/p>\n

The robotic replica is on view, free of charge with advance registration, through July 20, 2026, at the Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator, Florida International University (Biscayne Bay Campus, Academic Two-AC II, Room 150; 3000 NE 151 Street, North Miami). For reservations and information, visitors are encouraged to consult the official website.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The display in Miami at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum of the Head of Ulysses (1st century BC \u2013 1st century AD), an extraordinary archaeological artifact that is particularly representative of Italy\u2019s and Europe\u2019s cultural identity, is drawing to a close. The exhibition, coordinated and organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Miami, […]","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[12,10],"class_list":["post-9301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-diplomazia-culturale","tag-diplomazia-scientifica"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9301"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9467,"href":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9301\/revisions\/9467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consmiami.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}