Rome, a portrait is the first edition of a project that will be turning the Palazzo delle Esposizioni on an annual basis into a primary observatory for exploring the visions and the research of those foreign scholars and artists who spend a period of residency in Rome every year as guests of the Academies and Cultural Institutes that have been a part of city’s life since the 17th century.  

The Académie de France was established in the city in 1666 on the suggestion of French Minister of Finances Jean-Baptiste Colbert and of Gian Lorenzo Bernini to host young artists who won the prestigious Prix de Rome. In the 18th century Rome was a cosmopolitan city and a priority destination on the Grand Tour, an international setting in which to complete one’s cultural and personal education. In the course of the 19th century, numerous countries followed France’s example and set up their own cultural institutes, while others were established on a permanent footing after the Universal Exhibition of 1911 which identified the international cultural district of Valle Giulia as a distinguishing feature of the modern capital. And the foundation of further foreign research institutes in the aftermath of World War II came to bolster the city’s history and narrative.