Sicily
From Ulysses to Garibaldi
25 January - 25 May 2008

SICILY – the largest region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea - was a melting pot of many cultures for thousands of years. The coexistence of these cultures on the island left behind a rich and fascinating legacy. Ancient sculptures, architectural fragments, first-class paintings, and exquisite handicraft bring alive the island's distinctive art world, characterised by relentless quest to transform what was foreign into something Sicilian. With ca. 300 masterpiece works the exhibition traces this cultural legacy: From the first traces of humans in the Paleolithic era up to the arrival of Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860. From the native Sicani and Siculi, the immigrant Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantinians, and Arabs, the rule of the Normans and Hohenstaufen up to the Aragonese, Habsburg, and Bourbon dynasties, the exhibition recounts the rich and varied history of the island and identifies the influences of many different peoples and rulers.