When MGM Macau first opened, it featured an extraordianary exhibition of artworks by the famous surrealist artist Salvador Dali. Indeed two of Dali’s sculptures are still permanent features at the property. Since then, many art exhibitions and creative displays have been hosted by MGM Macau, and recently it inaugurated its first dedicated exhibition area, MGM Art Space. Located on level 2 and accessed from the Grande Praça, the multi-purpose space covers more than 8,000 square feet.
The debut exhibition for the space is a wonderful display of artworks by the legendary Florentine Renaissance artist, Sandro Botticelli, on display until March 15. Taking pride of place is Botticelli’s Venus (ca. 1482) on loan from the Galleria Sabauda in Turin, being displayed for the first time in Macau. The painting is one of the most significant works from the Renaissance period, the golden age of the arts and the epitome of artistic revival.
With the patronage of the prominent Medici family, Botticelli produced a series of paintings of the Roman goddess of love and beauty. The pose of Botticelli’s Venus is believed to have been inspired by the Medici Venus, a Greek sculpture that belonged to the Medici family that is now in the collection of the Uffizi. The figure is believed to be based on Simonetta Vespucci, a celebrated beauty Botticelli was infatuated with.
In all of her manifestations in various works of art, Venus is the beautiful goddess of love. She embodies passion, pleasure, tenderness and joy, symbolizing the birth of beauty, and the expression of the eternal feminine.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Co-Chairperson and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited Ms. Pansy Ho said, “We are honored to bring to Macau ‘Botticelli’s Venus: The Life and Times of a Goddess’ as the opening feature of our newly inaugurated MGM Art Space. Not only is this an exhibition of one of the most significant masterpieces ever made by man, this is also a prestigious cultural initiative dedicated to the Italian Renaissance – built on MGM MACAU’s solid foundation in making art accessible to all people”.
Other Botticelli works on display in the exhibition are based on the highest quality images supplied under license from the most important galleries in Europe and presented in their original sizes to allow visitors to experience the true physicality of these works for themselves.
More than just paintings, the exhibition also features examples of fashion and sculpture using original and reproduction art objects in a variety of media, to give visitors an understanding of the extraordinary outpouring of creative energy in art, politics, society and science that was the Florentine Renaissance.
The first part of the exhibition looks at the people of Florence through portraiture and costume design.
The second part of the exhibition presents Botticelli’s creative life from his earliest works to his beautiful Madonnas, his religious paintings and his mythological work.
As visitors move throughout the exhibition they are met with an enormous digital rendering of Florence’s most important public place, the Piazza della Signoria. In front of the piazza is a cast of the famous sculpture “Il Porcellino” (Italian for piglet), a wild boar that has, over the centuries, come to be seen as a lucky symbol of Florence. Legend has it that you will have good luck if you rub the boar’s snout. As a result of all of this rubbing, the boar’s snout has been polished smooth. And keep an eye on the backdrop for a glimpse of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous inventions flying across the skyline.
“We have been saying at MGM for some time now that we are looking to create a position where we can bring creative industries in. We see the legacy of MGM and the movies as part of that whole entertainment and creative industries, and it’s just part of the DNA of the company,” noted Grant Bowie Chief Exectuvie of MGM China Holdings Limited, speaking to the media prior to the opening of the exhibition.
“It cost several millions of Hong Kong dollars to build this space, and just for this exhibition over HK$10 million, but we see that as an investment both in Macau’s future and an opportunity to invest in the young people of Macau”.
And providing a glimpse of what the company’s Cotai property will have to offer, Mr Bowie stated:
“As we build Cotai we are looking for opportunities to allow artists to participate and create exhibitions and installations in both our properties.
“Our Cotai project will be more like a series of theatres or galleries where we can bring things in, experience them at the time, and then we can refresh and constantly renew ourselves.
“What we really want to do is increase the satisfaction of the people who visit. We want to surprise, we want to be different. It will be inspirational for Macau people and inspirational for our visitors”.
Exhibition Period: December 20, 2013 to March 15, 2014
Open: Tuesday to Sunday and on Mondays that fall on a public holiday
Time: 12noon to 9pm Venue: Level 2 MGM Art Space (via the grand staircase at Grande Praça)
The exhibition is open to the public.
Admission is free.