Sophia Loren ‘moved’ by 80th bday

Sophia Loren is “moved” by an exhibit launching in honour of her 80th birthday.

The iconic Italian actress will be turning 80 years old on September 20.

In honour of her new age, Sophia inaugurated an art exhibit entitled Sophia Loren Mexico: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow in Mexico City.

"I'm very moved by this, it's a beautiful exhibit,” she told journalists, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sophia explained at a news conference that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, who is the richest man in the world, approached her with the idea two years ago.

Carlos owns the Soumaya museum, where the temporary installation is taking place.

The exhibit features some of Sophia’s most prized possessions, including awards, books, a wardrobe collection, movie posters and video clips.

A red carpet event will be held at the Soumaya in honour of Sophia’s 80th birthday on Saturday. Several other celebrations are taking place in upcoming days, including a retrospective of her work at Cineteca Nacional in Mexico City. On Sunday her son Carlo Ponti will also be conducting a concert for his mother.

Sophia, who won an Oscar in 1960 for her work in Two Women, is also releasing a memoir entitled Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow through Atria publishing house.

“[The memoir offers] fans a glimpse of the woman who has left her mark on an era — from the challenges of growing up poor and hungry in wartime Italy to the flowering of her career and the joys of being a mother and grandmother,” publisher Judith Curr told THR.

Sophia’s book Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow hits shelves in December.