Penelope Exhibition
Exibitions and Events
Exhibition closed
The National Archaeological Museum of Taranto will host Penelope, an exhibition curated by Alessandra Sarchi and Claudio Franzoni, from March 8 to July 6, 2025. Organized by Electa, the exhibition arrives in Taranto after its debut at the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, devoting its entire narrative to one of the most powerful female figures in Homeric poetry.
At MArTA, paintings, sculptures, reliefs, incunabula, prints, and artifacts from numerous Italian and international museums, as well as private collections, highlight the key traits of Penelope and the enduring legacy of her myth. The exhibition will engage in dialogue with over twenty artifacts from MArTA’s own collections—some of which have been brought out of storage specifically for this occasion—chosen to best represent the thematic core of the show. The loom and the fabric, gesture and posture, the dream world and the bridal chamber, the veil and modesty—these are the narrative threads chosen by the curators to explore the myth and legacy of Penelope, passed down from the distant age of Homeric epics through two equally powerful traditions: the literary and the visual.
“The gold-threaded textiles from Taranto—symbols of the wealth of the ancient city—and the many loom weights evoke the feminine world of spinning and weaving, deeply tied to the figure of Penelope, even according to the most familiar stereotypes,” says MArTA director Stella Falzone. “This exhibition aims to create a dialogue between the archaeological collection and works connected to the contemporary world, in line with our current scientific programming.”
“Penelope has shaped and challenged the feminine ideal for at least 3,000 years—and she continues to do so today,” notes curator Alessandra Sarchi. “She is the faithful wife but also the cunning weaver of deceptions. She is the queen who never leaves her rooms, yet she alone rules an island for twenty years. She is a dreamer, but also the wife who tests her husband.”
“The myths of the ancients are incredibly distant in time, and yet they still manage to intercept our need to understand the world we live in,” adds curator Claudio Franzoni. “Penelope’s story continues to captivate us because it speaks to emotions and situations that are still deeply human—solitude, sorrow, disappointment, hope, and love.”
A special section of the exhibition also pays tribute to Maria Lai, the artist who placed textile materials at the heart of her creative work. This part of the show is organized in collaboration with the Lai Archive and Foundation.
Celebrated on International Women’s Day, Penelope offers MArTA the opportunity to speak about women, reclaiming the figure of Penelope from the clichés that see her only as a guardian of the hearth. Her clever ruse—crafting a tapestry by day and unraveling it by night to postpone choosing a suitor—and the silent but unmistakable complicity with Odysseus’ tricks upon his return, are just some of the features that make her a compelling figure who defies the traditional subordination of women in ancient culture.
