From 7 March to 6 July 2025, Rome will be the protagonist of an extraordinary opportunity to relive the artistic revolution of one of the most important masters in art history: Caravaggio. In conjunction with the celebrations of the Jubilee 2025, the national galleries of ancient art, in collaboration with the Borghese Gallery, present at Palazzo Barberini “Caravaggio 2025”, a project curated by Francesca Cappelletti, Maria Cristina Terzaghi and Thomas Clement Salomon.
This exhibition promises to be one of the most ambitious events dedicated to Michelangelo Merisi, called Caravaggio (1571-1610), highlighting an extraordinary selection of autograph paintings and difficult works, the result of new discoveries and restoration, which will offer a starting point for one in -depth reflection on the cultural and artistic revolution brought by the master. The exhibition will explore, for the first time in such a large context, the innovation that Caravaggio introduced into the artistic, religious and social panorama of his time.
The works on display
Palazzo Barberini, a symbol of a profound link between the artist and his patrons, will host some of the most famous works of Caravaggio, such as the “Portrait of Maffeo Barberini”, recently exhibited for the first time after more than sixty years of silence, next to Other works that tell the painter’s unique and revolutionary character. Among these stands out the exception of Homo, coming from the Prado di Madrid Museum, which will return to Italy for the first time after centuries. Another exceptional loan is the “Santa Caterina” of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum of Madrid, a masterpiece that was part of the Barberini collections and that will return to the building that housed it. The “Marta and Maddalena” of the Detroit Institute of Arts also on display, with the same model of Giuditta, now kept right at Palazzo Barberini, and for the first time exposed together all these masterpieces.
In addition, the exhibition will offer the opportunity to review a group of works related to the collectibles of Barberini, such as the “Bari” of the Kimbell Art Museum of Fort Worth, who will return to the Roman palace where they were long kept. There will also be the three paintings commissioned by the banker Ottavio Costa: “Giuditta and Oloferne” of Palazzo Barberini, the “San Giovanni Battista” of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Kansas City and the “San Francesco in ecstasy” of the Wadsworth Atheneum of Artford in Artford , works that will contribute to reveal the stylistic evolution of the master.
“Caravaggio 2025” aims to make the public live an immersive experience in history, art and cultural connections of the seventeenth century, paying homage to the genius of an artist who has revolutionized the pictorial language and that still continues to influence the Art and world culture.
