In 1961, Robert Smithson traveled to Rome for his solo show of religious-themed paintings at the George Lester Gallery. During his stay in Rome, Smithson further explored his interest in Western history—in what he described as ‘Byzantine art,’ ideas of archetype, myth, and anthropomorphism, and what he named the ‘façade of Catholicism.’ This period is also marked by what Smithson described as an artistic and spiritual ‘inner crisis.’

The exhibition at MACRO, Rome is still falling, takes the George Lester Gallery exhibition as its starting point to present a lesser-known earlier body of work that both draws upon and departs from Smithson’s spiritual and religious concerns during his time in Rome. Its title originates from a letter by Smithson to his wife, the artist Nancy Holt, written in 1961, where, floating in the bottom-left corner of the paper, are the four words: ‘Rome is still falling.’