One of the largest exhibitions ever staged on Dadaism and Surrealism has opened its doors in the Italian capital, with over 500 artworks from around the world. The show at the Vittoriano, providing a comprehensive overview of both movements, features oils, sculptures, readymades, collages, drawings and installations by dozens of artists. ''This is an almost unprecedented event,'' said Rome Culture Councillor Umberto Croppi. ''It's been decades since an exhibit of this scope has been staged anywhere in Italy''. The show's curator, Arturo Schwarz, who owns one of the world's largest collections of Dada and Surrealist art, said the exhibit offered a panorama on the movements that was ''probably unique, both in terms of the completeness and the quality of the works on show''. A personal friend of figures such as Marcel Duchamp, Andre' Breton and Man Ray, Schwarz described Dadaism and Surrealism as ''the only two avant-garde art movements that still feel relevant and subversive today''.

Another similarity between the two movements, he added, was the fact they were not merely focused on a ''visual revolution''. ''Instead, they proposed a cultural revolution [...] and the abolition of the distinction between theory and practice''. But he said that despite some common premises, ''Dadaism and Surrealism were immediately in conflict. The former was fundamentally nihilistic, while the latter was radically engaged''. The exhibition uses key shows from the history of the two movements to display important works in context and carry visitors through their development. It starts with early works by Dadaists, with a particular focus on those who participated in the First International Dada Fair, staged in Berlin in the summer of 1920. Most of the participants were German, including Max Ernst, Hannah Hoech, George Grosz, Raoul Hausmann and Johannes Baader, but there were also international names such as Hans Arp from Alsace, Hans Citroen from the Netherlands, US playwright Ben Hecht and Francis Picabia of France. The exhibit then shifts its focus to Surrealism, starting with works featured in the movement's first important show, which was staged in Paris's Pierre Galerie in 1925. Works by Man Ray, Joan Miro', Pablo Picasso and Giorgio De Chirico are among the pieces on display. A major 1936 event in London's New Burlington Galleries marked the next major step forward, with work by dozens of artists, including some of the 20th century's most famous names, including Duchamp, Ernst, Paul Klee, Rene' Magritte, Henry Moore, Yves Tanguy, Miro' and Picasso. Finally, the exhibit looks at Surrealism's key post-war exhibitions, from 1947, 1959 and 1965, all three of which were directed by Surrealist leader Andre' Breton, assisted by Duchamp. The exhibit runs at the Vittoriano until February 7, 2010. photo: a work by Joan Miro'