Bestiarium

The exhibition Bestiarium unfolds in a fascinating journey through over 70 sculptures in wood and stone that create a animal universereal and fantastic, deeply rooted in Alpine cultural memory. Inspired by the ancient medieval bestiariesthe exhibition celebrates the millennial relationship between man and animalskilfully told by craftsmen of the past and present.

By the MAV - Museum of Valdostan Craftsmanshipand with the support of the Autonomous Region Aosta Valley, Bestiarium proposes a symbolic and concrete itinerary through time: from the beginnings of animal representation in cave paintings to the Alpine folk sculptureeach work holds a profound meaning, made up of protection, spirituality, celebration.

Of particular importance is the context agro-pastoral mountainin which the craftsman-pastor, with few tools but much sensitivity, transformed wood into daily storystories of hard work, closeness and coexistence between species, now more relevant than ever in a world that seems to forget its connection with nature.

Bestiarium is an invitation to recognise the animal as an integral part of our shared worldan opportunity to reflect, through art, on the meaning of this ancient alliance, between imagination and reality, between past and present.