In the collection of the Capitoline Museums in Rome is a marble hand that stands more than 1.5 metres high, index finger pointing to the sky. One of only ten remaining pieces of a colossal statue of Emperor Constantine from the fourth century AD, it is a reminder of how even fragments of artworks can excite the imagination. When Pope Julius II is said to have asked Michelangelo to ‘complete’ the Belvedere Torso, possibly sculpted in the first century BC, the artist refused, insisting that it was more powerful as it was; centuries later it made just as strong an impression on Rodin. The Palazzo Strozzi is celebrating scraps and vestiges in all their forms, bringing together some 80 fragments – including the Capitoline hand – from countries around the world (25 September–24 January 2027). Ancient and premodern objects appear alongside modern and contemporary works by artists including Rodin, Louise Bourgeois and Danh Vo.
Find out more from the Palazzo Strozzi’s website.
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