THE NOMADIC EYE: ROME, THE ETERNAL INTERIOR

Curated and by Valérie Cueto

Philippe Perrin and Valérie Cueto present

Inspired by the spirit of the Grand Tour, The Nomadic Eye reimagines the Roman interior as a place of discovery, memory, and artistic encounters. Ancient sculptures, Old Master paintings, exceptional furniture, and contemporary works come together in an intimate dialogue that transcends centuries and conventions.

Rome has always belonged as much to those who dreamed of it as to those who were born there. From Hubert Robert, the French painter captivated by its ruins and poetic grandeur, to Jannis Kounellis, the Greek-born artist who made Rome his home and transformed its ancient legacy into a radical contemporary language, the Eternal City has inspired generations of artists who found in it a spiritual and creative homeland.

Here, a conversation unfolds between Robert and Kounellis, two outsiders united by their profound attachment to Rome, yet separated by two centuries. Their encounter embodies the very essence of the exhibition: the enduring dialogue between antiquity and modernity, memory and reinvention.

Conceived as the home of an imaginary collector, the exhibition evokes the cultivated curiosity of the Grand Tour, where objects gathered across centuries and civilizations coexist with effortless elegance. Freed from chronology and traditional hierarchies, each work reveals unexpected affinities with the others.

More than an exhibition, The Nomadic Eye celebrates a singular way of seeing, one in which Rome is not simply a city, but an inexhaustible source of imagination, where the past remains profoundly alive and beauty outlives empires.

Featured works:

SCULPTURES BY SERGIO ROGER

Bellator III, 2026, and Columns
Plant-dyed antique linen, stainless steel and fiberglass.

Attributed to Jean-François Hue
(Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines, 1751 – Paris, 1823)

France, after 1786
Oil on canvas
225 × 157 cm (88⅝ × 61¾ in.)