A convergence of contemporary art, the Renaissance, and antiquity takes shape in Rome, at the Basilica of Santa Maria Antiqua, one of the most evocative sites in the Roman Forum. Here, from October 11, 2026, to February 7, 2027, Bill Viola’s *The Greeting* will be on view— a video installation created for the U.S. Pavilion at the 1995 Venice Biennale. The project, titled *The Greeting by Bill Viola in the Roman Forum: A Tribute to Pontormo*, is presented by the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo in collaboration with Electa and was conceived to coincide with the major monographic exhibition dedicated to Pontormo at the Scuderie del Quirinale. The placement of the work inside Santa Maria Antiqua takes on special significance: Bill Viola’s video, in fact, engages with a site characterized by extraordinary historical and spiritual layers, set against the backdrop of ancient stones and medieval frescoes.
*The Greeting* draws inspiration from Pontormo’s famous *Visitation*, painted between 1528 and 1532 and housed in the Parish Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Carmignano. The painting depicts the encounter between Mary, pregnant with Jesus, and her cousin Elizabeth, who is herself expecting St. John the Baptist. Behind them appear two other female figures, helping to make the scene even more enigmatic and intense. However, Viola did not choose to directly reproduce the biblical episode. Instead, the artist took Pontormo as a starting point to create a completely independent work, focusing on the composition, colors, and emotional power of the original. The result is a contemporary work that maintains a connection to Renaissance painting without becoming a mere reference.
To create *The Greeting*, Bill Viola used a special 35-mm film camera capable of recording up to 300 frames per second. The scene captures a very brief encounter—lasting about 45 seconds in real time—between two women dressed in modern, brightly colored clothing. At one point, a third figure enters the scene. The protagonists’ movements are extremely delicate and choreographed. Through extreme slow motion, however, their gestures, expressions, and glances are stretched out to last about ten minutes. The real-time duration of the action is thus completely transformed. A fleeting moment becomes an immersive and contemplative experience, in which the viewer can grasp details and moods that would remain almost imperceptible in everyday life. Slow motion thus becomes a tool for exploring time, presence, anticipation, and the inner dimension of human experience.
The choice of Pontormo as a reference is no coincidence. A central figure of sixteenth-century Florence, Jacopo Carrucci—known as Pontormo—represented one of the most original transitions from the High Renaissance to the Mannerist period. His painting, far removed from classical balance and characterized by eccentric and innovative solutions, has also exerted a strong influence on the artistic culture of the 20th century and the contemporary era. Among the artists who have drawn inspiration from his work are Pier Paolo Pasolini and Bill Viola, both drawn to the particular expressive power and modernity of his artistic exploration.
The installation *The Greeting* is part of the program for the first major exhibition entirely dedicated to Pontormo, scheduled at the Scuderie del Quirinale from October 9, 2026, to February 7, 2027, and sponsored by Ales SpA - Scuderie del Quirinale in partnership with the Uffizi Galleries and produced in collaboration with Electa. The curatorship is led by Cristina Acidini, supported by a team of specialists including Elena Capretti, Philippe Costamagna, Bruce Edelstein, and Carlo Falciani. The exhibition aims to explore the personality and artistic exploration of an artist deeply loved by collectors and the public alike, yet one who, despite his significance, had not previously been the subject of a major monographic exhibition of this scale.
The installation of *The Greeting* at Santa Maria Antiqua further expands the interpretation of the exhibition dedicated to Pontormo. The dialogue between Viola’s work, Pontormo’s paintings, and the historic architecture of the Forum demonstrates how images from the past can continue to generate new forms of expression. In his engagement with art history, Bill Viola has made it clear that he does not simply wish to appropriate or reproduce works from the past. Rather, his interest lies in the possibility of engaging with both ancient and modern artists as models for constructing his own conception of the image. It is precisely in this perspective that *The Greeting* finds its strength: Pontormo’s work is not imitated, but transformed into a new visual device in which time, movement, color, and human presence take on a contemporary dimension.
In the Roman Forum, Bill Viola’s work thus becomes a bridge between vastly distant eras: from 16th-century painting to the medieval frescoes of Santa Maria Antiqua, all the way to contemporary video art.
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| Bill Viola Pays Homage to Pontormo: The Video Installation *The Greeting* Arrives in Rome at the Roman Forum |
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