Lorenzo Marabini Wins the “Theodoric the Great” Art Competition

Lorenzo Marabini wins the Art Competition “Theodoric the Great, on the 1,500th Anniversary of His Death. Was the Mausoleum of Theodoric a Funerary Monument for the King?” with his work Tenta tanto, non temere (Dare Greatly, Fear Not), diptych, 50 × 120 cm, acrylic on canvas, 2026.

The competition was organised by CARP Ravenna and Pallavicini22 Art Gallery to commemorate the 1,500th anniversary of the death of the Ostrogothic king, who died in Ravenna on 30 August AD 526.

The jury consisted of:

Claudia Agrioli, owner of Pallavicini22 Art Gallery and President of CARP;

Luca Maggio, art critic, curator and honorary member of CARP;

Sandro Malossini, curator of art exhibitions and events, Artistic Director of Associazione Arcipelago and honorary member of CARP;

Sandra Manara, architect and former Director of the monuments associated with Theodoric the Great in Ravenna (2017–2025);

Roberto Pagnani, artist, curator of the Archivio Collezione Ghigi-Pagnani, artistic curator of Pallavicini22 Art Gallery and Vice President of CARP;

Giuseppe Palumbo, comic book artist and illustrator (Diabolik, Tex, Martin Mystère, creator of Ramarro) and comics illustration lecturer. Author of the comic story “16 Possible Uses of the Mausoleum”, winner of the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC) competition “Comics in Museums”, set in the Mausoleum of Theodoric.

Description from the Competition Announcement

“Was it a funerary monument for the king? Certainly, but not only that. The great stone blocks of the Mausoleum of Theodoric whisper stories and legends. They tell of a child who was afraid of lightning, who was sent to Byzantium as a hostage, then returned, became a powerful ruler and conquered Italy.

A king has friends and enemies; he can be generous and ruthless, he loves and betrays. This building, admired over the centuries by engineers and architects, painters and poets, holds his secret. A mystery halfway between the human and the divine, told through sixteen stories — ancient, futuristic and timeless.”

(Excerpt from 16 possibili usi di un mausoleo [16 Possible Uses of a Mausoleum] by Giuseppe Palumbo, Coconino, 2019.)

Text by Lorenzo Marabini

The headless body and the monument without its base are both incomplete: only when brought together do they form a composite, unified figure.

The diptych suggests that, in the collective imagination, Theodoric and his Mausoleum can no longer be separated. The man, once a fearful child, has become a monument; the monument, in turn, continues to evoke the image of the man, keeping his memory alive and recalling a political and social vision founded on coexistence and mediation between different civilisations.

The light background isolates the composite figure, giving it an almost iconic quality and suspending it beyond any specific place or time.

Under the Patronage of

Emilia-Romagna Region, Municipality of Ravenna, Academy of Fine Arts of Ravenna, Port System Authority of the North-Central Adriatic Sea.

With the support of various sponsors and media partners.

Lorenzo Marabini