The exhibition A Journey of Knowledge: “The Travels of Marco Polo” and Its Legacy between East and West opened in Beijing as the main event held in China to mark the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death.
The ceremony took place in the presence of the Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism, H.E. Sun Yeli. Hosted at the China World Art Museum in Beijing from 26 July to 24 November 2024, the exhibition also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the China–Italy Strategic Partnership. During the exhibition period, a number of official visits took place, including that of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on 29 July 2024 and that of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella on 8 November 2024.
The initiative was organised by the Italian Embassy in Beijing and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Beijing, with the coordination of the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani, the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the contribution of the Ministry of Culture and the Regione Veneto, and under the patronage of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The exhibition brings together a substantial group of works representing precious Italian cultural artefacts, including oil paintings, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, ceramics, glass, jewellery, textiles and celadon porcelain. Through detailed exhibition content, visitors were able to relive the history of cultural exchange between Italy and China from the thirteenth century onwards, discovering and exploring the variety and depth of the ties between the two countries. This exhibition project involves the collaboration of the most important Italian and Chinese institutions: Imperial Kiln Institute in Jingdezhen, Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan, Museo Stibbert in Florence, Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, Banca Popolare di Vicenza collections, Museo Wolfsoniana in Genoa, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, Biblioteca del MAECI, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in Rome, Archivio Diocesano di Vicenza.
For the second leg of the exhibition, which opened at the Sichuan Museum in Chengdu on 21 December 2024, over 190 Chinese works of inestimable value were added, further enriching the display and underlining the cultural dialogue between East and West.
On 8 May the third and final Chinese leg of the exhibition opened at the China Academy of Art (CAA) in Hangzhou. The opening ceremony, attended by officials, the press, faculty and students of the CAA, began with an address from the Italian Ambassador to China, Massimo Ambrosetti, who conceived the exhibition and who also recalled the importance of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and China.
TECHNICAL DATA (Beijing)
Exhibition title: A Journey of Knowledge: “The Travels of Marco Polo” and Its Legacy between East and West
Venue: Beijing, China World Art Museum
Open to the public: 26 July – 24 November 2024
With the support of: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Culture, Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Regione Veneto
Promoted and organised by: Italian Embassy in Beijing, Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Beijing
Co-organised by: China World Art Museum, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani, Beijing Wisdom Art & Culture Co., Ltd., Gehua Media Group Beijing Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Jinzheng Culture & Sport Technology Co., Ltd., Way Experience Srl
Project conceived by: Massimo Ambrosetti (Ambassador of Italy to the People’s Republic of China)
Scientific committee: Massimo Bray (Director General, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani), Alessandro De Pedys (Director General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy, MAECI), Luciano Formisano (Corresponding Member, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei), Tiziana Lippiello (Rector, Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia), Massimo Osanna (Director General of Museums, Ministry of Culture), Alberto Rocca (Director of the Pinacoteca, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana), Pengcheng Ji (Director “Meishu”, Chinese Artists Association), Yanjun Weng (Director, Imperial Kiln Institute), Xinjiang Rong (Full Professor, Peking University), Mo Cheng (Associate Professor, Peking University)
Scientific curatorship: Eugenio Burgio, Antonio Montefusco, Andrea Nanetti (Università Ca’ Foscari, Venice and Nanyang University Singapore)
Curatorship and exhibition coordination: Giorgia Cestaro (Italian Embassy in Beijing), Giovanna Fazzuoli (Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani), Guicciardo Sassoli de’ Bianchi Strozzi (Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Beijing)
General coordination: Federico Roberto Antonelli (Director, Istituto Italiano di Cultura Beijing), Marco Cerbo, Tommaso Giordano (IIC Unit, MAECI), Ginevra Oliva (First Counsellor, Embassy in Beijing)
Organisational secretariat: Maria Cristina Bravi (Treccani), Christian Fontana (Embassy in Beijing), Martina Pederzoli, Leilei Wang (IIC Beijing)
Press office: Steve Forziati (First Secretary of the Embassy), Xiaoning Yang (IIC Beijing)
Administration and accounting: Tiziana Carcich, Mario Izzi (IIC Beijing), Fabio Romano (Embassy in Beijing)
Texts: Eugenio Burgio, Antonio Montefusco, Andrea Nanetti, Guicciardo Sassoli de’ Bianchi Strozzi
Translations: Giulia Bonardi (IIC Beijing), Wanjun Jiang (Beijing Wisdom Art & Culture), Shuang Liu, Sangrou Pan, Yikan Zheng (Central Academy of Fine Arts Beijing)
Art direction and exhibition design: Cibic Workshop (Joseph Dejardin, Aldo Cibic)
Graphic Designer: Hao Peng
Light design: YLD Co., Ltd.
Video animation and VR: Way Experience Srl
Transport: Arterìa Srl, Shanghai Hi-Expo International Logistics Co., Ltd.
Principal lending institutions: Archivio Diocesano di Vicenza (H.E. Mons. Giuliano Brugnotto); Biblioteca dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei e Corsiniana, Rome; Biblioteca MAECI Rome; Camera di Commercio Bologna; Collezioni Palazzo Thiene Vicenza; Fondazione culturale P. Nonis Vicenza; Fondazione Musei Civici Venezia; Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Rome; Galleria Nuages Milan; Musei Civici Bologna; Museo Poldi Pezzoli Milan; Museo Stibbert Florence; Museo Wolfsoniana Genoa; Imperial Kiln Institute Jingdezhen; Museum of Ethnic Costumes Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology
