Capodimonte in Seoul: 19th-Century Naples Enchants the East

(by Francesca de Lucia) It's a journey into the light Mediterranean of Naples and an invitation to visit it, the exhibition 'Culture and society in the 19th century collection of the Museum of Capodimonte' inaugurated at the My Art Museum in Seoul. 1968 paintings from the 19th and early 20th centuries, including female images, Interiors and landscapes tell the story of a city with an artistic feel international. The exhibition, the first of a series dedicated to Italian art in the modern museum complex, is aimed at increasing Korean tourist flows to Europe and South Italy. "Our mission is to make Capodimonte increasingly known even in the East - underlines Eike Schmidt, director of the Museum and the Royal Wood of Capodimonte -. For this unique exhibition, original and precious, we have restored several paintings and frames from the warehouses, works intended to integrate the future section of the 19th century, not visible for years. We are there focused on a particular historical period, that of transition from the Bourbon Kingdom to the Unification of Italy with its great political and social upheavals. These are the years that coincide with the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation between Italy and Korea signed on June 26, 1884 by the diplomat Neapolitan Ferdinando De Luca. We are also approaching the 70th anniversary of the establishment of our embassies in Seoul and Rome, in 1956. We wanted to take advantage of the opportunity suggested by these symbolic and deeply felt dates to tell here in Korea, a Naples that has always been open to the world". Edited by Maria Tamajo Contarini and Patrizia Piscitello, the exhibition, which is spread across eleven rooms, is organised by My Art Museum, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte and MondoMostre with the support of the Ministry of Culture - Department for enhancement of cultural heritage, the Italian Embassy in Seoul, Ambassador Emilia Gatto present at the inauguration, the Italian Cultural Institute of Seoul represented by Director Michela Linda Magrì, Korea Tourism. The event is part of in the Neapolis 2500 celebrations program. Tickets in on sale since mid-July, a particularly merchandising curated, activities for children: Capodimonte in Seoul (until 30 November) promises to be a successful event. For Yi Taegun, director of My Art Museum, "Naples manages to convey a deep emotion. With its splendid sun, the historical heritage and daily life full of vitality, the city has always been a source of admiration for many artists and travelers, beyond any era. This exhibition offers the opportunity to explore the charm and sensitivity of the Southern Italy, through 19th-century painting". The portraits are designed to enchant visitors female. Central to the selection, from Giovanni Boldini to Giacomo Balla, it is precisely the role of the woman, as well as the female contribution to the arts, with the painters Jane Benham Hay, the Dutch Therese Schwarze Van Idyll and the Neapolitan Maria De Luca. The interior paintings are aristocratic, as in Alexandre Jean Dubois Drahonet or bourgeois, in Giuseppe De Nittis. Precious These are the sketches for a ceiling of the Royal Palace of Naples created by the painter of the Bourbon Court Gennaro Maldarelli. The journey continues with a focus on Gioacchino. Toma. Finally, a stroll through the Grand Tour's 'outsides': Naples, Paestum, Capri, from Marco De Gregorio to Vincenzo Caprile.