Amsterdam: Amsterdam's prestigious Rijksmuseum is set to open a new exhibition, "Metamorphoses", exploring the 2,000-year influence of the Roman poet Ovid's epic on art across centuries. The exhibition features 80 works borrowed from 50 museums and private collections, highlighting how Ovid's tales inspired artists from the Renaissance to modern times, including Titian and Magritte. Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits said the theme has fascinated artists for centuries, yet has never been the focus of a standalone exhibition.
Senior curator Frits Scholten noted that while Ovid may not be widely known today, the idea of transformation remains universal and deeply relevant. The exhibition showcases sculptures, paintings and symbols such as Medusa and Bernini's Hermaphroditus, demonstrating how each generation reinterprets Ovid's stories through contemporary ideas, from power and identity to gender fluidity.
