Magnum Gives Poet Dante and Muse Beatrice a Kiss to Remember for International Kissing Day

Over 700 years ago Dante fell in love with his muse Beatrice and some of his most famous works were inspired by her. But despite his dedication, their love never happened. To celebrate Dante’s anniversary and International Kissing Day, Magnum, the brand that is about pleasure and art, has finally brought them together. The Kiss of Dante and Beatrice is an original artwork by the acclaimed artist Roberto Ferri which will be unveiled today in Palazzo Firenze in Rome, the Dante Alighieri Society headquarters. 

700 years after the death of the great poet, Dante’s work is still the most well-known expression of Italian literary art. To honour his work and his love for Beatrice, the painting makes the impossible possible by reimagining the kiss that never happened. 

The artwork explores the theme of immortal love where Beatrice's purity and Dante's passion merge. The lovers are lost in an embrace with their arms expressing the symbol of infinity: a metaphor for absolute love that transcends the boundaries of time and space. In Ferri's 'Kiss' the powerful drama of Caravaggio's chiaroscuro meets the aesthetic plasticity of Antonio Canova's 'Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss' and the heart-breaking narration of Hayez's famous 'Bacio'. 

“When I was asked to make The Kiss I knew that I was facing a challenge with immense responsibility, even towards my own artistic identity. I focused on the emotions of Dante and Beatrice and the work gradually took shape, materialising in a triumph of sensuality," says Roberto Ferri. 

Roberto Ferri is an Italian painter who is known as the modern 'Carvaggio' and portrait painter of the Pope. His impressive work is inspired by Baroque painters and other old masters. At only 42 his work is represented in important private collections across the world. His work was featured in the controversial Italian pavilion of the Venice Biennale 2011,[3] and he has exhibited at Palazzo Cini, Venice in the Kitsch Biennale 2010.*

To accompany the unveiling of the commissioned artwork, Magnum created an evocative film that expresses the passion of Dante and Beatrice and the inspiration that led to the creation of the painting. 

The campaign was created by LOLA MullenLowe for Magnum Italy. The Kiss of Dante and Beatrice will be exhibited at Palazzo Firenze in Rome and can be visited until 11th July 2021. The work will also be accessible through a digital exhibition.