Eternal City
Rome in the Photographs Collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Rome as ‘eternal city’ has long existed in the British imagination and has represented a rich source of inspiration for artists through the centuries. Once an essential stop of the Grand Tour itinerary in the 17th and 18th centuries, the city became from the mid-19th century an international hub for photographers, ready to train their cameras on the monumental ruins and renowned historical buildings. Since then Rome has been captured on film through many different approaches, some of them influenced by older visual arts such as painting, by cinema, social documentary, photojournalism and street photography. This variety of ‘visions’ were at the core of the exhibition Eternal City: Rome in the Photographs Collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects, which ran at the Vittoriano in Rome from 28 June to 28 October 2018.
The catalogue for the exhibition is available to purchase here.