RRome, June 9th. (askanews) – Almost 10 years ago Eva Jospin she was a scholarship holder atFrench Academy in Rome and now it leads to Villa Medici, until January 19, 2026, some works designed specifically for this place. The French artist, one of the most appreciated on the international contemporary scene, has created a project that animates three special spaces of the architectural complex: the plaster cast gallery, Balthus’ former studio and Ferdinando de’ Medici’s Studiolo, also known as the “bird room”. The exhibition, in fact, is part of the exhibition series curated by Pier Paolo Pancotto which offers site-specific interventions by contemporary artists in the Villa.
The artist explained: “Precisely the idea is not to do a monographic exhibition in a white space, which is really not interesting here at Villa Medici, but rather to create a dialogue with very special places in the villa, which are the Balthus atelier, where Balthus painted when he was director of the Villa. When I was a scholarship holder it was here that I showed my first cardboard cave that I created here at the Villa. Then the exhibition continues in the Salle aux oiseaux, and also it is very beautiful there because it is a dialogue with the fabric that is on the walls, the painting on the ceiling, which truly recalls the spirit of the gardens, and they are elements present in the embroideries that I presented in this Salle des oiseaux”.
For over fifteen years the artist has been building visionary landscapes in which ruins, plant motifs and fantastic architecture intertwine. His works evoke enchanted gardens, mysterious caves and worlds suspended between reality and myth. At Villa Medici he presents works made of bronze, cardboard and silk thread embroidery, together with two videos, “Carmontelle” and “For t”, which amplify the sense of immersion in his imaginative universe.
Jospin will present a new exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris in December 2025, but regarding his return to Villa Medici he said: “It’s an incredible place, which is always absolutely wonderful, you can’t talk about this place, you have to come and see it, it’s unique in the world.”
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED