I previously wrote about museum MACRO, museum MAXXI, and EUR’s Square Colosseum, but there’s one building in Rome that was still missing from my list: Museum Ara Pacis. Romans seem to feel very strongly about this remarkable building in the middle of their historic city centre: some say it’s a masterpiece of modern architecture, others compare it to a trashy gas station. Decide for yourself: do you love it or hate it?
Museum Ara Pacis
Lungotevere in Augusta (corner of Via Tomacelli) | Rome
06 0608
website | Facebook
Mo – Su | 9.30 – 19.30
Standard admission ticket € 11,50
Strolling through Via di Ripetta, I’ve always been fascinated by the contrast between the museum building itself and what’s inside: it’s the ultimate unification of old and new. It may be hard to believe for casual passersby, but this piece of 21st-century architecture is actually housing a very important Roman artifact.
Reconstructing a lost memory
The museum, of course, owes its name to the ancient monument it houses: the Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace. It was built for Augustus, the first emperor of Rome and establisher of the Pax Romana (Roman Peace). After he returned from his military campaigns in Spain and France in 13 BC, the Roman Senate commissioned this altar to honour the peace he established in the Roman Empire. That’s why the altar was dedicated to Pax, the Roman goddess of peace.
However, the altar had become a lost memory after the decline of the Roman Empire. That was until its remains were discovered under Palazzo Peretti in Lucina, right next to the San Lorenzo in Lucina basilica, in 1568. The altar you can admire inside the museum today is a reconstruction built with many pieces and fragments that were discovered from the 16th to the 20th century. Fascist leader Mussolini finished the project in the years leading up to the Second World War as part of his plan to create a new, Italian empire with himself as a modern emperor. A big pavilion was built around the altar by Italian rationalist architect Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo and remained in place until 2006, when it was pulled down to make space for the current building by American architect Richard Meier.
Play of light and shadow
Meier’s construction of glass, concrete, and steel boasts a 45-meter-long glass curtain wall that enables passersby on the Lungotevere to look inside and peek at the altar. The proportions Meier used for his building are inspired by ancient Roman structures and he used beige Roman travertine for the stairs and walls. The glass walls and skylight in the hall above the altar create a play of light and shadow: when you enter the museum, you pass through an area of semi-darkness to a central space filled with natural light – with the altar at the centre of it.
The inauguration of Meier’s new building in 2006 caused criticism from both Romans and foreigners. There’s no doubt the building has a strong political memory and forms a strong contrast with the historical buildings in its surroundings. Art critic Vittorio Sgarbi famously called it ‘a Texas gas station in the very earth of one of the most important urban centres in the world’ and criticised Meier for not knowing Rome at all. Luckily there were also critics who complimented Meier’s work. Judging from the many visitors taking selfies with the museum’s outside walls, Meier did succeed in creating a photogenic building. But don’t take my word for it: have a look and judge for yourself.
All images © 2020 Liza Karsemeijer
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