An collaboration between the Borghese Gallery and the National Galleries of Ancient Art of Rome will allow for the first time to bring together in a single context selected masterpieces from the collections of two crucial figures of the Roman political and cultural life of the seventeenth century, that of Maffeo Barberini, Pope Urban VIII who had the sumptuous palace that bears his name built in the center of Rome enriched with numerous works of art, promoting the Roman Baroque by hosting artists, musicians, writers, and of Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, an art collector who systematically dedicated himself to the acquisition of works of art beyond traditional methods by commissioning works and from many of the greatest artists of his time including Gian Lorenzo Bernini who created the famous sculptural groups still housed today in the gallery of Villa Borghese between 1618 and 1625.
Absolute masterpieces by great masters are on display
Portrait of a man Antonello da Messina, the Madonna and Child by John Bellini, the Madonna with Child, Saint John and angels by Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a young woman with a unicorn by Raffaello, Susanna and the elders by Peter paul rubens, Sacred Love Profane Love by Tiziano , the Baptist's Sermon Paolo Veronese, just to name a few, will temporarily change location and can be admired in a single context, that one di Palazzo Barberini from 29 March to 30 June 2024.
The occasion is offered by the important works of the renovation and protection project of the first floor of the Borghese Gallery made possible thanks to the funds of the PNRR for the replacement of the upholstery, the modernization of the fixtures with a view to energy efficiency, the expansion of cultural accessibility, the updating of the warehouses, the restoration of some large canvases as well as the restoration of the facades, for which fifty works are were transferred to the South Wing of the main floor of Palazzo Barberini. “An event of the highest institutional value testifying to the closeness, not only geographical but also professional, that links the two museums” declares Thomas Clement Salomon, director of the National Galleries of Ancient Art ”in the wake of Scipione Borghese and Maffeo Barberini, who today they would have rejoiced for this initiative."
“During the implementation of important interventions by the PNRR which will change the appearance of the art gallery on the first floor of the building, the Borghese Gallery, however, will not close completely and will remain open to visitors during the works. The exhibition at Palazzo Barberini will make it possible to make the Gallery's heritage always visible and to establish relationships and resonances with another exceptional baroque collection and with another great museum institution" states Francesca Cappelletti, Director of the Borghese Gallery.
At Palazzo Barberini, the temporary dismantling of the rooms in the South Wing will be an opportunity for an in-depth photographic campaign and preventive conservation of the works normally exhibited in these environments: from the seventeenth-century Neapolitan to the eighteenth-century collection, from Mattia Preti to the painters of the Grand Tour. Throughout during the exhibition period there are discounts on tickets. The Galleria Borghese ticket is reduced and costs 11 euros (except for mandatory booking fees, free tickets and legal reductions). Those who have purchased this ticket are entitled to visit the National Galleries of Ancient Art at a very discounted cost (5 euros), while enjoying all the extraordinary heritage and ongoing initiatives.
Raphael, Titian, Rubens. Masterpieces from the Borghese Gallery to Palazzo Barberini – Palazzo Barberini, via delle Quattro Fontane 13, Rome – Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 10.00 – 19.00. Last entry at 18.00 pm. Closing day: Monday
