The best of the Italian art, including many masterpieces belonging to one of the oldest Italian cultural institutions, Accademia Nazionale di San Luca in Rome, are exhibited in Perugia in two prestigious historic buildings in the historic city center, ‘Palazzo Baldeschi‘ and ‘Palazzo Lippi Alessandri‘, both owned by Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia Foundation. The wide-ranging exhibition, entitled ‘Da Raffaello a Canova, da Valadier a Balla‘ (From Raffaello to Canova, from Valadier to Balla), is curated by Vittorio Sgarbi and Francesco Moschini, sponsored by the Cassa di Risparmio Foundation of Perugia, and organized by the CariPerugia Arte Foundation.
The exhibition presents paintings, sculptures, architectural drawings, and preparatory sketches by Raphael, Bronzino, Pietro da Cortona, Guercino, Rubens, Wicar, Hayez, Giambologna, Canova, Valadier, Balla, and other important Italian and foreign artists, to document the great art between the fifteenth and the twentieth century, including those of the Marabottini Collection permanently displayed at Palazzo Baldeschi.
This artistic journey that ideally leads from Rome to Perugia is set up in 12 rooms between the two exhibition venues, and it follows a chronological order. The first room is in Palazzo Baldeschi, and here it is possible to admire one of the most prestigious works of the exhibition, the ‘Putto Reggifestone’ by Raffaello Sanzio, a detached fresco belonged to Jean-Baptiste Wicar.
In Palazzo Lippi Alessandri visitors are welcomed by the works of artists such as Francesco Hayez – a multifaceted Venetian artist and innovator, author of ‘Il Bacio’, a symbolic work of Italian romanticism -, Jean Baptiste Wicar – with his powerful ‘Official portrait of Giuseppe Valadier’ -, Rinaldo Rinaldi – with the beautiful marble portrait of Domenico Pellegrini.
Ilona Catani Scarlett