28 marble statues of Palazzo Civiltà Italiana

28 Carrara marble statues adorn the arches on the ground floor of the Palazzo. The sculptures are 3.40 meters in height, on plinths, and are allegoric representations of the virtues of the Italian people. Together with the Dioscuri, they complete the sculptural decorations of the building designed in 1937 by La Padula, Guerrini and Romano. Twenty-six sculptors, true to the dreams of Cipriano Efisio Oppo (Vice chairman, Superintendent for architecture, art and exhibitions), were called upon to consider E42 "a great exhibition of contemporary art, the largest that has ever been seen" (Civiltà, quarterly publication of the Rome Universal Exhibition - 21st March 1941). Naturally, the results were varied: the pictorial decoration of the Palazzo was never carried out, as the events of war inevitably resulted in a revision of its initial grandeur.

In the words of Maria Silvia Farci, "regarding style, apart from the Twentieth century taste that is common to all, it is more or less possible to identify different areas. There is a rhetorical late-academic style, still with a rather Nineteenth century feel to it: Longo, Rivalta, Montececconi. A clearly stated Twentieth century style with an undercurrent of Martini, as seen in Biancini, Giordani, Biggi, Assanti; a Twentieth century with contaminations that range from Archaism to Realism, as in Vucotich or Baglioni. A late Liberty style reminiscent of Symbolism: Bertolino, Abate, Nicolini.  
The sculptures of Palazzo della Civilità, entrusted mainly to sculptors from the academic world from all parts of Italy, were carved by professional stonemasons, who from 1940 to 1942 completed installation of the first 16 statues; the remaining ones were put into place during the post-war period.

Source: M. Casciato, S. Poretti Il Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. Architettura e costruzione del Colosseo Quadrato Federico Motta Editore, Milan 2002.