For the fifth centenary of the death of Raphael di Sanzio, the largest exhibition dedicated to an artist ever held in our country will be held at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome from 5 March to 2 June 2020. A long-awaited exhibition, and for the moment Coronavirus-proof, which is recording the record of tickets sold: over 70 a week after opening, with requests from all over the world.
A major scientific project curated by Marzia Faietti and Matteo Lafranconi, born from the collaboration with the Uffizi Galleries, and with the participation of numerous art institutions, including the Borghese Gallery, the Colosseum Archaeological Park and the Vatican Museums.
An unprecedented event, which will bring together for the first time more than one hundred autographed masterpieces, or in any case designed by Raphael, including paintings, drawings, tapestries and architectural projects. These will be joined by other works for comparison and context, for a total amount of 204 works on display, of which 120 by Raphael himself, from the most important national and international museums and collections, for a total value of 4 billion euros.
The exhibition is divided according to a path that takes all of Raphael's creative adventure backwards, from Rome to Florence, up to Urbino, where he was born in 1483. It is particularly significant that this tribute is celebrated in the city where the great Raphael fully expressed all his artistic talent. So he leaves from Rome, where he died at a young age, on 6 April 1520. Visitors will be welcomed by the life-size reproduction of Raphael's tomb al Pantheon commissioned to the Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Conservation, world leader in digital surveys related to heritage conservation.
It is a unique opportunity to see together works loved all over the world, such as: the Madonna of the Grand Duke , Veiled of the Uffizi Galleries, or the great altarpiece by Santa Cecilia from the Pinoteca of Bologna; but above all works that never returned to Italy after their export, including the sublime Madonna Alba from the National Gallery in Washington, the Our Lady of the Rose from the Prado or the Madonna Tempi from the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, and iconic paintings such as the Portrait of Baldassarre Castiglione from the Louvre.
Furthermore, it will be possible to admire, for the first time in the same place, the portraits of the two popes who allowed Raphael to demonstrate the immense artistic potential in the Roman years: that of Julius II from the National Gallery in London and that of Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de' Medici and Luigi de' Rossi from the Uffizi, after the delicate and accurate restoration of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, allowing the restoration of the original characteristics of the work.
Furthermore, visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to receive the booklet with the essay as a gift Raphael's modernity. From the Letter to Leo X to the Italian Constitution, signed by the historian and intellectual Salvatore Settis. The famous Letter, written by Raphael himself together with Baldassarre Castiglione, represents, according to the president of Ales-Scuderie, Mario De Simoni, "the magnet of the whole exhibition".
The profound traditional culture of the artist and his ability to update it in modern projects will be represented by the architectural section. In fact, Raphael, as well as being a painter, he was also the first papal architect with Leo X and as such he was in charge of organizing construction sites for ancient and modern Rome, trying to restore their original appearance to the buildings.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 10 to 20 from Sunday to Thursday, while Friday and Saturday until 22.30. The cost of the ticket is 15 euros, but there are also various discounts. For example, those who purchase tickets to visit the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti will be entitled to a 33% discount on the cost of admission to the Scuderie, and vice versa.
Despite the health emergency that is affecting our country, for the moment there are no postponements or postponements of the exhibition. The great success of the exhibition would seem to be stronger than the fear of contagion and could be a good opportunity to relaunch tourism in such a difficult moment. Even if, as stated by De Simoni, "plan B is inside the drawer".
TRASH OF CONTROVERSY
Surprisingly, a few days after the opening, a controversial front opened up. The whole scientific committee of the Uffizi Gallery, co-organizer of the exhibition, has decided to resign. Among the paintings announced in the preparation and already arrived in the capital, there is also the Portrait of Leo X with Cardinals de' Medici and de' Rossi work restored for the occasion by the Opificio delle Pietre dure in Florence, financed by the Scuderie del Quirinale precisely in view of the exhibition. According to the Scientific Committee, the work is immovable and should not have left Florence.
"The great exhibition on Raphael could not do without Leo X, a masterpiece which among other things is in excellent health and in perfect condition to travel to Rome after the restoration of the hard stones factory in Florence" is the answer of the director of the Florentine museum Eike Schmidt “I fully claim the patriotism of this decision in contrast with what was suggested by the Advisory Committee of the Uffizi Galleries. The great Raphael exhibition is an epochal cultural event, it will be one of Italy's reasons for pride in the whole world this year, it could not do without Leo X”
