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Stephen Montoya
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Stephen Montoya
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Stephen Montoya
The emperor Caesar Augustus stands tall in marble, arm lifted in timeless command, his draped toga falling in folds as precise as the lines of his jaw. Two thousand years ago, this statue proclaimed the authority of Rome’s first emperor to subjects across a vast empire — today, it speaks to Texans about power, propaganda, and endurance. Augustus is one of fifty-eight treasures from the Torlonia Collection now on view at the Kimbell Art Museum in “Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection,” a once-in-a-generation exhibition running Sept. 14 through Jan. 25, 2026.
“This collection is legendary,” said Eric M. Lee, the Kimbell’s director. “For decades, it was locked away, unseen even by most scholars. The sculptures you’re about to see were made two thousand years ago, the same era as the Colosseum and the Pantheon, and yet they still carry an astonishing vitality.”
The Torlonia Collection’s story is nearly as dramatic as the empire it reflects. In the nineteenth century, Prince Giovanni Torlonia and his son Alessandro assembled what became known as a “collection of collections,” acquiring entire groups of Roman marbles through excavation and purchase. A private museum opened in 1876, but after World War II, it shuttered, and for nearly eighty years, the marbles were stored away. Only in recent years have they reemerged, dazzling audiences first in Rome, then in Paris, and now, improbably, in Fort Worth.
For Alessandro Poma Murialdo, president of Fondazione Torlonia, the Texas debut is more than a cultural milestone. “It is a true honor to be here today in Fort Worth,” he said. “For us, it’s more than an exhibition — it’s a dialogue between cultures and between centuries.” He stressed that the foundation’s mission is not just to preserve but to revive. “These marvels, unseen for so long, are now at the center of an unprecedented international journey, one that we hope will renew their relevance for new audiences and new generations.”
Jennifer Casler Price, the Kimbell’s senior curator of Asian, African, and Ancient American art, placed the sculptures back in their ancient context. “Rome was vast, stretching from Britain to Africa to Asia Minor. Most of its people were illiterate, so statues became the way emperors broadcast power, gods inspired worship, and citizens recognized their place in the world. It was visual culture as communication, the billboards of the ancient empire.”
Casler Price also reminded audiences that these works bear the imprint of centuries of restoration. Renaissance and Baroque collectors disliked fragments, so missing limbs and faces were often reimagined, sometimes by masters like Bernini, sometimes by lesser hands stitching marble from other works. To help modern viewers decode that history, the exhibition includes diagrams showing what’s original, what’s an ancient repair, and what’s a later addition.
In the end, “Myth & Marble” is not only about stone; it’s about survival. As Murialdo observed, “We believe that classical sculpture, though rooted in antiquity, is defined by its capacity for renewal. These sculptures remind us of enduring human values — resilience, beauty, and dignity.” In the cool light of the Renzo Piano Pavilion, standing eye to eye with Augustus himself, those values feel as alive in Texas as they once did in Rome.
