Culture(s)

The ancient treasures collected over the past 20 years by Ludovic Donnadieu, hail from a myriad of ancient cultures, famous or obscure, across all five continents. The selection maintains a balanced representation of different geographical areas, ensuring that all regions of the world and all historical or prehistoric periods are accounted for. Through this comprehensive panorama, the viewer is invited on a cultural and anthropological journey through time and space. The showcased artworks are ?miniatures?; few exceed a size of 20 centimetres. Indeed, an artwork doesn't need to be monumental to evoke profound emotional impact and fascination! Fragility can endure, the minuscule can embody grandeur, and singular detail can convey a universal message. This selection of 99 works, forming a unique ensemble worldwide, adheres to a triple criterion: authenticity, aesthetic quality, and balance, both among the represented subjects and across different forms, materials, or functions. The period covered spans from 6,000 BC to the early 20th century. Presenting this collection to the public holds a dual significance: in a world threatened by uniformity, it celebrates the richness and diversity of human cultures while also highlighting the beauty and grandeur of small-scale formats and the need to protect what is fragile. The Donnadieu Foundation was established in 2023, under the aegis of the Foundation for Childhood, by Ludovic Donnadieu, art collector, certified public accountant, and founder of the firm Donnadieu & Associates, which specialised in securing funds entrusted to NGOs. The Foundation aims to enable young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to broaden their horizons and engage in civic activism, while also raising awareness among the general public and policymakers about the importance of culture for the world's youth. Text in English and French. AUTHOR: Luigi Spina, photographer, began his visual research with several photography series focusing on amphitheatres and the civic sense of the sacred, the links between art and faith, the search for ancient cultural identities, and the physical confrontation with classical sculpture, the obsessive research on the sea, the boxes of the dreamer archaeologist (Giorgio Buchner). He created with 5 Continents Editions the extensive photography project Interno pompeiano (2023, published in English by Thames & Hudson with the title Inside Pompeii) and the series dedicated to the plaster casts of Antonio Canova: Canova. Four Tempos (2020 ? 2024). In 2023, he was awarded the Amedeo Maiuri International Prize for Photography. 130 colour illustrations