The exhibition reconstructs the genesis and evolution of the typology of female busts made by Canova at the height of his career. In the last twelve years of his activity, when he was the most famous and sought-after living sculptor in Europe, Antonio Canova devised a typology of busts that was immediately successful among his contemporaries, both clients and critics of the time. He called them “ideal heads”. The exhibition reconstructs the history of this highly appreciated strand of his work for the first time through about 30 examples, over 20 of them by Canova, from prestigious international museums.