Overview: The Capitoline Venus, on loan from the Capitoline Museum in Rome, was featured in this one-object focus exhibition. This was only the second time the sculpture had left Rome since its discovery in the 1670s, and the first time that it had been exhibited in the United States. The exhibition was inaugurated on June 7 by Mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno, as part of The Dream of Rome, a project to exhibit masterpieces of Italian art in the United States from 2011 to 2013. The exhibition was part of ITALY@150, a series of activities in Washington, DC, and throughout the United States celebrating the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.

Organization: The exhibition was organized by Roma Capitale, Sovraintendenza ai Beni Culturali–Musei Capitolini, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, with the partnership of the Knights of Columbus and the Embassy of the Republic of Italy, Washington.