The Museum of Rescued Art was established in 2022 in the Octagonal Hall of the Baths of Diocletian to host rotating exhibitions of works of art saved from natural or man-made disasters such as wars, looting or theft.
Stolen, lost, sold or illegally exported works of art and archaeological artefacts constitute a significant loss to a country’s cultural heritage, an expression of its historical memory and collective values, not to mention the identity of its people. Despite its intrinsic intangible value, instead of being worthy of safeguarding, protection and conservation, cultural heritage has often been targeted for illicit trafficking and material destruction. It is no coincidence that during international conflicts, aggressors often intentionally and deliberately damage cultural heritage, striking at the very roots of the enemy country’s identity.
The Museum of Saved Art was created to tell the other side of the story, showing all the stages of the rescue of works of art: from investigations to restitutions through cultural diplomacy, the recovery of masterpieces carried out by the various institutions of the Ministry – ISCR, Opificio delle Pietre Dure, ICPAL – and the discovery of historical and artistic treasures among the rubble of earthquakes thanks to the intervention of the Blue Helmets of Culture, the task force set up by the Italian government for the recovery of artifacts after natural disasters and armed conflicts under the aegis of UNESCO; or, again, the work of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, whose commitment is appreciated worldwide and thanks to which Italy is recognized as a leader in the field.
The museum’s exhibitions change according to the results of investigative operations, international restitutions and recoveries in areas affected by natural disasters. When each new exhibition arrives, the artifacts on display up to that point will be returned to their original locations.
On 26 June 2025, the Museum of Rescued Art in the Octagonal Hall of the Baths of Diocletian will reopen to the public. The occasion for the reopening is a major exhibition entitled Nuovi recuperi (New Recoveries), curated by Sara Colantonio and Maria Angela Turchetti.
This new exhibition is the result of an agreement between the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, the Department for the Promotion of Cultural Heritage and the National Roman Museum, and also involves the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and, within it, the Central Institute for Restoration, in an institutional network that strengthens the link between protection, study and dissemination. To celebrate the reopening and encourage public access, admission to the Museum of Saved Art will be free until 31st of August.
The exhibition documents the most significant operations carried out by the TPC Command in the three-year period 2022-2025. Thanks also to the support of new technologies, such as the Database of Illegally Stolen Cultural Property and the S.W.O.A.D.S. system, based on artificial intelligence, the Carabinieri have recovered a growing number of works, returning them to the public heritage. The actions include judicial investigations, cultural diplomacy agreements and spontaneous restitutions by citizens and institutions.
The exhibition features, among the most important items, the polychrome Etruscan urns from Città della Pieve, accompanied by grave goods and a late Hellenistic bronze sculpture recently repatriated from Belgium, attributable to a Perugian context, comparable to the famous bronzes of San Casciano dei Bagni and closely related to another specimen recovered in 2007. Other significant items include painted slabs from Cerete dating back to the 6th-5th century BC, Greek and Etruscan bronze weapons, Etruscan and Roman bronze and silver tableware, Magna Graecian terracotta, Etruscan gold jewellery, marble theatre masks and votive bronze statuettes. There is also material from operations in third countries or crisis areas, such as Syria and Egypt, including faience amulets, votive figurines, seals, stone sculptures and Coptic fabrics, awaiting return.
An entire section is dedicated to spontaneous deliveries: objects returned by citizens aware of the historical and legal value of what they possess, demonstrating a growing sensitivity towards the protection of our common heritage.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a scientific catalogue published by Silvana Editoriale, with contributions from eminent scholars and specialists in the field and an original photographic campaign, which rigorously and sensitively captures the material characteristics and evocative value of the exhibits on display.
Discover the works on display at this link