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The Terrae Motus Collection

The Royal Palace of Caserta owns Terrae Motus from Irpinia in 1980, the contemporary art collection of the greatest world artists of the 80s.

The Artists and Works of Terrae Motus

66 artists and over 70 works by the greatest world artists of the 80s

A

  • JEAN-MICHEL ALBEROLA
    “1907” – bronze sculpture, photo and text, 1985
  • CARLO ALFANO
    “Eco downhill” – mixed technique on canvas, 1981
  • SIEGFRIED ANZINGER
    “Erdbeben (Earthquake)” – oil on canvas, 1982

B

  • DONALD BAECHLER
    “Earthquake” – acrylic on wood, 1986/87
  • MIQUEL BARCELO’
    “The trembling shadow” – Mixed technique on canvas, 1983
  • JOSEPH BEUYS
    “Earthquake in the Palace” – wood, terracotta, glass, wax and an egg, 1981
  • DOMENICO BIANCHI
    “No title” – oil and wax on glass fiber, 1991
  • ALIGHIERO E BOETTI
    “From pole to branch in the summer of 1986, next to the Pantheon” – mixed media on canvas-lined paper, 1986
  • CHRISTIAN BOLTANSKI
    “No title” – room and silver objects, 1986
  • DAVID BOWES
    “No title” – oil on canvas, 1985
  • JAMES BROWN
    “Eleven portraits of Buddha” – wooden sarcophagus on a copper base, 1983/86

C

  • CHEMA COBO
    “Journey to no end” – oil on canvas, 1985
  • GEORGE CONDO
    “Mother Earthquake” – oil and paper on canvas, 1986
  • TONY CRAGG
    “No title” – lava and wood, 1983
  • ENZO CUCCHI
    “No title” – mixed technique on iron, 1986
  • RONNIE CUTRONE
    “You run to the sea, the sea wilI be boiling – You run to the rocks, the rocks will be melting” – acrylic on the Naples’s flag, 1983

D

  • BRUNO DI BELLO
    “Apollo and Daphne” – blue toning on three emulsified canvases, 1985
  • BRACO DIMITRIJEVIC
    “The causal passer-by” – photo on emulsified canvas, 1971/86

E

No artist

F

  • LUCIANO FABRO
    “Italy Door” – acrylic on wood, 1986
  • SERGIO FERMARIELLO
    “No title” – acrylic on wood, 1990

G

  • GERARD GAROUSTE
    “No title” – mixed technique on canvas paper, 1985
  • PIERO GILARDI
    “Autogobierno” (self government) – moltoprene and latex, 1986
  • GILBERT AND GEORGE
    “Dying Youth” – photos on cardboard and metal frames, 1980

H

  • PETER HALLEY
    “Black cell with conduit” – acrylic on canvas, 1987
  • KEITH HARING
    “No title” – acrylic on canvas, 1983

K

  • ANSELM KIEFER
    “Waterloo, Waterloo…” – oil and terracotta on canvas, 1982
  • JANIS KOUNELLIS
    “No title” – irons on wood, 1992
  • MILAN KUNC
    “Silent earthquake” – oil on canvas, 1986

L

  • BERTRAND LAVIER
    “No title” – acrylic on book and wood, 1985
  • JEAN LE GAC
    “Le délassement d’un peintre parisien” (The relaxation of a Parisian painter) – mixed technique on paper, 1985
  • FRANCISCO LEIRO
    “Eva scacciata dal Paradiso” – painted wood, 1983
  • SIMON LINKE
    “No title” – acrylic on canvas, 1986
  • ROBERT LLIMÒS
    “No title” – oil on canvas, 1985
  • RICHARD LONG
    “Vesuvius circle” – lava stones, 1984
  • NINO LONGOBARDI
    “No title” – Mixed technique on canvas, 1983

M

  • ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
    “Dennis with thorus” – photograph on panel,
  • ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
    “Jack with crown” – photograph on panel,
  • ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
    “Scull and crossbones” – photograph on panel,
  • ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
    “Jill Chapman” – photograph on panel,
  • ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
    “Dennis with flowers” – photograph on panel, 1983
  • DAVID McDERMOTT & PETER McGOUGH
    “Opium Smokers Dream” – oil on linen, 1985
  • BRUCE MCLEAN
    “No title” – mixed technique on canvas, 1985
  • SILVIO MERLINO
    “Trofeo con piantina” – Mixed technique on canvas, 1986
  • MARIO MERZ
    “Terrae Motus, in that time…” – mixed technique and neon on canvas, 1984
  • OTTO MUEHL
    “Home accidents” – acrylic on canvas, 1986
  • JOSEPH FELIX MÜLLER
    “No title” – painted wood sculpture, 1986

N

No artist

O

  • OSWALD OBERHUBER
    “No title” – Mixed technique on canvas, 1983
  • LUIGI ONTANI
    “Fofo has no fear” – oil on 9 fan-shaped canvases, 1986
  • JULIAN OPIE
    “Books” – shaped and painted sheet, 1986

P

  • MIMMO PALADINO
    “Kings killed as strength decays” – Mixed technique on linen paper, 1981
  • GIULIO PAOLINI
    “The other figure” – two plaster copies of the Ephebe Marathon on wooden bases, 1986
  • A.R. PENCK
    “Erdbeben im Bierkeller I – II” (Earthquake in the beer cellar) – acrylic on two canvas, 1982
  • GIANNI PISANI
    “The Sideboard”, 1964
  • GIANNI PISANI
    “The bed”, 1963
  • VETTOR PISANI
    “The blue island” – polimateric sculpture, 1986
  • MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO
    “Annunciation Terrae Motus” – two mirroring paintings, 1962/84

R

  • ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG
    “West-ho Go (Glut)” – assembled metal, 1986
  • GERHARD RICHTER
    “Static” – oil on canvas, 1982

S

  • DAVID SALLE
    “No title” – Mixed technique on canvas and lead, 1985
  • JULIÃO SARMENTO
    “Earthquake” – acrylic and collage on canvas, 1983
  • MARIO SCHIFANO
    “Gasp” – acrylic on canvas, 1986
  • JULIAN SCHNABEL
    “Veronica’s veil” – oil and animal skin on  blue velvet, 1984
  • PETER SCHUYFF
    “No title” – acrylic on linen, 1985
  • THOMAS STIMM
    “No title” – earthenware on a wooden base, 1986

T

  • PHILIP TAAFE
    “Mangrove” – Mixed technique on canvas, 1985
  • ERNESTO TATAFIORE
    “23 novembre 1980” – acrylic on canvas board and wood, 1980
  • CY TWOMBLY
    “No title” – Mixed technique on canvas, 1984

U

No artist

V

  • GER VAN ELK
    “Discovery of the Sardines” – two photos, 1871/85
  • EMILIO VEDOVA
    “… Also ob.. ‘84 – I” – oil on canvas, 1984

W

  • ANDY WARHOL
    “Fate presto” (Hurry up) – acrylic and serigraphy on 3 canvas, 1981
  • BILL WOODROW
    “Fruit of the city” – metal box and wooden barrel, 1984

X

No artist

Y

No artist

Z

No artist

Virtual tour of the Terrae Motus Collection

See virtually all the works of the Terrae Motus Collection via the virtual tour

The birth of Terrae Motus

The Terrae Motus Collection, established after the earthquake that devastated the Italian regions Campania and Basilicata on November 23, 1980, was born thanks to an initiative and foresight of the Neapolitan art gallerist Lucio Amelio (1931-1994). At his request, several contemporary artists onch as Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Jannis Kounellis and Mimmo Paladino, all Artists of different nationalities, reacted to the catastrophic event through the creation of an artwork, and also starting a discussion while meditating about the of the effects of an earthquake and the contribution that art can give to the reconstruction.

The Collection,whose name in latin language stands for "earthquake", is composed of more than 70 pieces, and was exhibited in many times: at Villa Campolieto in Ercolano, at Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, at the Grand Palais in Paris etc, before being donated in testament by mr Amelio to the Royal Palace Caserta in the 1994,when he passed away. Since the year 1994, the Collection Terrae Motus has been exposed, with periodic rotations, in the halls of the Palace, according to a logic that aims at integrate the contemporary art in the ancient and precious halls of the Palace.

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Lucio Amelio

Lucio Amelio's will

Documentary about Terrae Motus

1980 - The earthquake in Irpinia

November 23, 1980. One of the worst earthquakes in Italy’s history hits the Irpinia (in Campania) and Basilicata. The earthquake of magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scalecaused more than 2500 dead8000 injured and about 300.000 homelessSome municipalities close to the epicenter  including Sant’Angelo dei LombardiLioniConza della CampaniaMuro Lucano  were almost destroyedothers badly damaged.

More infos: The earthquake in Irpinia – Wikipedia

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