Vatican Museums

The first room of the itinerary dedicated to twentieth century art introduces the Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art with a selection of works that allude to the plurality of attitudes and languages adopted by artists in relation to sacred iconography, and proclaim the co-existence within this section of religious and lay subjects. A basic idea of Paul VI’s plan was the reestablishment of a link between the Church and contemporary culture, forming a Collection able to demonstrate not merely the religious art of the twentieth century, but also the sense of spirituality that runs through it. The paintings of Gaetano Previati, Gerardo Dottori, Giulio Aristide Sartorio, Giuseppe Santagata and Felice Carena, along with a posthumous cast of Auguste Rodin’s celebrated Le Penseur, are just a sample of what awaits the visitor in the subsequent rooms.