De Chirico was one of the most important figures in Italy's modern art world, who with Carlo Carra founded the metaphysics movement. This exhibition this book accompanied - organised in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy, in celebration of the '2013 Year of Italian Culture in the United States' - was dedicated to the genius of De Chirico. De Chirico was one of the most important figures in Italy's modern art world, who with Carlo Carra founded the metaphysics movement: a way to express and set down a world that goes well beyond visible material reality, where past and present criss-cross and intertwine, where hopes and dreams coexist. The marvellous sculptures and drawings on display at the Phillips Collection, demonstrate how De Chirico (1888-1978) uses figures from mythology, archaeological artifacts, and historical events to create images that suggest an alternate, mysterious reality. They will absorb the visitor in a learning expedition through a contemporary metaphysical alphabet, one that is deeply innovative precisely because it is able to reinterpret the past.