A meticulous selection of portraits from the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome has been curated to comprise the group of contestants for a Beauty Contest, directed by Spanish-born, New York-based artist Paco Cao. The selection of the contestants involved the active participation of the entire museum staff, from the director to the curatorial, education, and restoration teams, with special attention given to the security guards, considering their daily and constant relationship with the works of art.

The beauty contest has established two categories: male and female; the objective is to select the most beautiful person in each category, based on physical appearance, demeanor, and attitude, independently of the style or technical quality of the works. The jury is the audience. In the competing line-up are portraits from the early 19th century to the late 20th century, created by masters ranging from Giorgio de Chirico to Vincent van Gogh, Umberto Boccioni, Giovanni Boldini, Vincenzo Gemito, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Vittorio Corcos and Amedeo Modigliani, as well as lesser-known and anonymous artists.

In the Primaries −from October 10, 2016 to January 22, 2017− 18 males and 18 females were chosen from the 35 males and 35 females initially selected. Only online voting was available. In the last phase of the contest −from February 20 to May 1, 2017− the contestants will be displayed in the museum’s galleries and the voting process will include online as well as in-person participation, the latter following the traditional method of casting a ballot in a box.

The Museum Beauty Contest will culminate with the celebration of the Grand Finale, next March 27, 2017 −an award ceremony to proclaim the winners in each category, Miss and Mister National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, as well as to grant several honorific prizes. The exhibition will continue until May 1, 2017. The two winners will become ambassadors for the National Gallery throughout 2017.

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#LaGalleriaNazionale

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