The exhibition celebrates three important anniversaries: the bicentenary of the birth of Peru, the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Peru, and the bicentenary of the birth of Antonio Raimondi, Milanese explorer, father of the MUDEC collections and pioneer of science in the Andes.

Organised in collaboration with the Consulate General of Peru in Milan, the exhibition is housed in one of the showcases of the Agora and tells the public, through objects from the museum’s collections, the main stages of Peru’s liberation from Spanish rule and its birth as an independent republic.

Divided into thematic sections, the exhibition presents a number of pieces to the public for the first time, including: a tunic celebrating the victories of Marshal José Sucre (hero of the War of Independence), a series of objects sent by Raimondi to the Natural History Museum in Milan (now at the Mudec), ethnographic textiles and a series of terracotta works that testify to the oldest pre-Hispanic cultures in Peru.

Since ancient times, the indigenous peoples of Peru have experienced a process of adaptation and development in an often hostile environment. With the birth of the Inca Empire, a multi-ethnic society was formed, enriched during the colonial period by African and European populations. During the colonial period and the early years of the Republic, there were numerous episodes of rebellion against Spain. These stories of resistance are reflected in an iconography visible only to those who know how to interpret it, made up of geometric motifs and symbols associated with the horse and the flag. In the years following liberation, in the second half of the 19th century, the young independent state, with its natural diversity and millenary history, attracted several researchers from all over the world, including Antonio Raimondi. On the 200th anniversary of his birth, Raimondi is being commemorated for his role in the construction of modern Peru as a nation-state: he placed his knowledge of the country’s resources at the disposal of his new homeland and helped to promote it internationally.

A solid relationship, the one between Italy and Peru, which will be 150 years old in 2024 and which echoes in the presence of a large community of Peruvians, especially in Milan, masterfully portrayed by the photographer Candy Carmona. Complete the exhibition, together with Carmona’s photographs, Andrea Balossi’s shots of the religious celebration of ‘Señor de los Milagros’ and portraits of great Peruvian personalities who have lived and worked in Italy, such as the tenor Luigi Alva and the artist Jorge Eielson.

Thanks to the Museum of Natural History in Milan for the loan of two precious volumes signed by Antonio Raimondi from the series ‘El Peru’.