Armando Testa

ARMANDO TESTA (Turin, 1917-1992).
Poster of the Olympic Games of Rome 1960.
Measurements: 106,5 x 77 cm (total).

For the 1960 Rome Olympic Games poster, the prolific designer Armando Testa was inspired by the so-called "Belvedere capital", found in the Baths of Emperor Caracalla (3rd century A.D.). It depicts an athlete crowning himself with his right hand while holding the palm of victory in his left, in accordance with Roman tradition, surrounded by other equally laureate figures that reinforce the idea of triumph. Above the whole rises the famous Capitoline She-wolf, a sculpture from the 6th century B.C., symbol of the founding myth of Romulus and Remus. The incorporation of the Olympic rings and references to the 1960 Games creates a visual dialogue between ancient and contemporary Rome, merging past and present in a powerful synthesis of culture and sport.