Metamorphoses: Ovid and the Arts

Ovid’s Metamorphoses and its lasting impact on visual art

The Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses is among the most important works of Classical Antiquity, described in the seventeenth century as a ‘Bible for artists’. The compelling epic intertwines tales of chaos and the cosmos, encounters between gods, humans and nature, and the countless transformations to which they gave rise.

For centuries, artists have drawn inspiration from these highly imaginative accounts of passion, jealousy, cunning and deceit on the part of deities, heroes and ordinary mortals. The stories have been interpreted in marble and paint, and more recently in moving pictures. This book shows the immense influence that Ovid has exerted on the visual arts – from Antiquity to the present day. It presents sculptures by Cellini, Bernini, Rodin and Bourgeois alongside paintings by Titian, Correggio, Caravaggio, Arcimboldo and Rubens.

Ovid’s myths address universal human feelings, allowing them to speak as powerfully as ever to our imagination. This richly illustrated book, featuring essays by Francesca Cappelletti, Claudia Cieri Via, Bart Ramakers, Frits Scholten and Lucia Simonato, is the living proof.

This publication accompanies the exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (6 February-25 May 2026) and the Galleria Borghese, Rome (22 June-20 September 2026).