NUOVA
ARTEMAREA

The exhibition Endless Vitality: Palace Museum Cultural and Creative Exhibition presents a collection of artefacts crafted in accordance with ancient Chinese traditional techniques, the product of an extensive process of research, scholarly inquiry, and experimentation conducted on masterworks belonging to both the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of China, preserved at the Palace Museum. The exhibited works have been executed by master artisans active since the 1970s, who represent the inheritors and ongoing transmitters of the traditional techniques of the imperial workshops. The exhibition is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China and by the Palace Museum and is held under the patronage of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and the Italian Institute of Culture in Beijing. The exhibition has been organised on the occasion of the centenary celebrations marking the founding of the Palace Museum (1925–2025), and forms part of the broader commemorations of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy, thereby contributing to the reinforcement of cultural dialogue between the two nations, and to the increasingly close relations between the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and the leading scientific and cultural institutions of the People’s Republic of China. The Palace Museum in Beijing is housed within the Forbidden City, formally established as a museum in 1925. It preserves more than 1.97 million artefacts from the Chinese imperial collections spanning successive historical periods, and represents, at the same time, a fundamental custodian and continuator of the court's traditional artisanal heritage. In recent years, guided by the principle of “endless vitality”, the Palace Museum has intensified its commitment not only to the international promotion of the enduring fascination of traditional Chinese craftsmanship, but also to the engagement of younger generations in the processes of creative reinterpretation and transmission of traditional culture. In this manner, the institution has established itself as one of the foremost windows through which the world may gain access to Chinese civilisation and the history of the Chinese people. The cultural and creative works of the Palace Museum have consistently been inspired by the foundational principle of “breathing new life into cultural artefacts”. In advancing the creative transformation and innovative development of the finest traditions of Chinese culture, they further demonstrate a particular attentiveness to the safeguarding and valorisation of the courtly arts and artisanal knowledge. The works presented in this exhibition thus bear witness to the extraordinary cultural richness of traditional Chinese craftsmanship, offering an in-depth perspective on the continuity of artistic practices across time.
CREDITS AND DETAILS:
Title of the exhibition
Endless Vitality: Palace Museum Cultural and Creative Exhibition
Venue
Rome, Auditorium Villa Farnesina
Opening
4 May 2026, 6:00 p.m. (free entry until 7:00 p.m.)
Public opening dates
4 – 18 May 2026 (Monday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 2 p.m; last admission 1:00 p.m.)
(Sunday, 10 May, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m; last admission at 4:00 p.m)
Organised by
The Palace Museum
Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
In collaboration with
Beijing Palace Museum Cultural Development Co., Ltd.
Italy China Council Foundation ETS
Associazione Nuova Artemarea ETS
With the support of
Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China
The Palace Museum
Under the patronage of
Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Pechino
Honorary Committee
Roberto Antonelli (President, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei)
Wu Di (The Palace Museum)
Mario Boselli (President, Italy China Council Foundation ETS)
Project Direction for the Palace Museum
Wu Di (The Palace Museum)
Cultural Mediation
Guicciardo Sassoli de’ Bianchi Strozzi (President, Associazione Nuova Artemarea ETS)
Ren Jingge (Associazione Nuova Artemarea ETS)
Curatorial, technical and administrative coordination
Guicciardo Sassoli de’ Bianchi Strozzi (Associazione Nuova Artemarea ETS)
Ren Jingge (Associazione Nuova Artemarea ETS)
Matilda Cribiori (Associazione Nuova Artemarea ETS)
Ginevra Cavina Boari (Associazione Nuova Artemarea ETS)
Davide Cascella (Associazione Nuova Artemarea ETS)
Federico Pasini (Operations Director, Italy China Council Foundation ETS)
Federico Roberto Antonelli (Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Pechino)
Francesco Paolo Fazio (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei)
Virginia Lapenta (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei)
Paolo Dramis (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei)
Giorgio Di Loreto (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei)
Gabriele Taddeo (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei)
Domizia Chiarini (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei)
Texts
Roberto Antonelli
Wu Di
Virginia Lapenta
Ren Jingge
Guicciardo Sassoli de’ Bianchi Strozzi
Translations
Ren Jingge
Graphic Design and Exhibition Layout
Artiser Srl
Isabella Palermo
Francesca Roviglioni
Films and Videos
The Palace Museum, Pechino
Lighting assistance
ISET S.r.l.
Insurance services
MAG Broker di Assicurazione Divisione FineArt
Cleaning services
EUROMAC S.r.l.
Security services
GMC DEFENCE Services S.r.l.
Electrical assistance
ISET S.r.l.
Catalogue
Roberto Antonelli
Wu Di
Mario Boselli
Patrizio Bianchi
Guicciardo Sassoli de’ Bianchi Strozzi
Virginia Lapenta
Ren Jingge
Catalogue Printing
Bardi Edizioni srl
Editorial Assistance
Matilda Cribiori (Associazione Nuova Artemarea ETS)
Gift of the artist
Bottega di Stefano Conticelli
Press Office and Communications
Mariella Di Donna, Andrea Massimiliano Gentili, Carmine Piscopo
(Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei)
Stefania Lorenzi (Italy China Council Foundation ETS)
Matilda Cribiori, Ren Jingge, Alessandra Paulucci de Calboli (Associazione Nuova Artemarea
ETS)
The entire staff of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei is gratefully acknowledged