Now those same halls host a monumental exhibition: After – Steps Through Work. Fendi / Karl Lagerfeld 1985, on view from 10 July to 25 October 2026.
The Greatest Fashion Partnership
What’s on display retraces the longest creative partnership in fashion history, between Karl Lagerfeld and the Fendi family. Hired in 1965 by the five Fendi sisters to reinvent the family’s traditional fur and leather house, Lagerfeld revolutionised the very idea of luxury outerwear, a collaboration that lasted until his death in 2019.
This is not a typical parade of red-carpet gowns. Instead, it faithfully rebuilds the pioneering 1985 show, originally curated by Ida Panicelli with an installation conceived by Lagerfeld himself, one of the first times fashion entered an Italian museum. It subverts expectations of the “finished product,” offering an intimate look at how Lagerfeld actually worked: how his raw sketches and the iconic double-F motif stepped off the page and came to life in the hands of master artisans.
Inside the Creative Process
Drawing on the Fendi and GNAMC archives, the exhibition brings together around 180 original drawings, 22 paper patterns, 50 sample boards, preparatory canvases and 25 furs, tracing every stage from idea to finished garment. The sketches reveal how Lagerfeld’s hand evolved over time, from soft, naturalistic female forms to bold, expressive marker lines. Look closely at the margins and you’ll find handwritten notes, references and even French words transcribed into Italian, a quiet reminder of the bilingual, real-time dialogue with a Roman atelier.
The show guides visitors through the architecture of couture, from paper patterns and canvas prototypes (toiles) to archival footage of Fendi’s deep Roman roots, including Jacques de Bascher’s 1977 film Histoire d’Eau. At its centre, a cluster of coats suspended in mid-air recreates Lagerfeld’s 1985 “Theatre” installation, once famously called the “dance of the furs.” The exhibition closes with a selection of the vast 1985 press coverage, a rare chance to trace how fashion found its place inside the museum.
For anyone drawn to the enduring legacy of Lagerfeld’s genius inside one of Italy’s most storied fashion houses, this is a must-see. Set on Viale delle Belle Arti, a short walk from the Borghese Gallery, it’s one of several major shows in the city this summer. Planning your visit between now and October? See our guide to Rome in August for more to pair with it.
20th Century Mexico Meets Rome in Villa Caffarelli’s Newest Exhibit
From June 9 to December 13, 2026, the Capitoline Museums’ Villa Caffarelli hosts Diego Rivera and the Construction of Modern Art in Mexico City in the 20th Century, the first exhibition in Italy dedicated to Diego Rivera, one of Mexico’s most celebrated painters and muralists.
The exhibition brings together more than 140 works, including 30 by Rivera, alongside masterpieces by some of the most important Mexican artists of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Frida Kahlo, José María Velasco, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, María Izquierdo, Rufino Tamayo, Roberto Montenegro, Dr. Atl and Saturnino Herrán.
Through paintings, photographs and videos, the show explores the development of modern Mexican art and the creation of a visual language that combined tradition, avant-garde experimentation and a strong sense of national identity. Rivera’s work is placed at the centre of a broader artistic movement that helped define Mexico’s image in the 20th century.
Rather than focusing only on Rivera’s famous murals, the exhibition also highlights his cubist, modernist and more experimental phases. Among the most notable works on display are his cubist pieces View of Toledo and Sailor at Breakfast, as well as The Painter’s Studio. His role in the Mexican muralist movement is explored throughout the exhibition, although there are no actual murals by Rivera on display.
The other artists featured in the show reflect the richness and diversity of modern Mexican art. Their works range from modernism, cubism and abstraction to surrealism, post-impressionism and realism. Some paintings depict landscapes of Mexico and Europe, others focus on still lifes, indigenous women at the market, social themes and symbolic visions. Together, they reveal a country in transformation, where art became a way to reflect on identity, history, social change and modern life.
The exhibition also includes two still lifes by Frida Kahlo, a life-sized portrait of Rivera by Alexandre Zinoviev, and Juan O’Gorman’s surreal Project for the Monument of the Birth of Venus. Photographs, including images of Rivera taken by Tina Modotti, and video material further enrich the visitor experience.
Structured around four thematic sections, the exhibition traces Rivera’s academic training, his dialogue with the European avant-garde, the Mexican cultural renaissance after the Revolution, and the legacy of Mexican modern art beyond social realism.
Diego Rivera and the Construction of Modern Art in Mexico City in the 20th Century is a must-see for art lovers in Rome. It offers a rare opportunity to discover the colours, tensions and creative force of modern Mexico through the work of Rivera and the artists who helped shape one of the most powerful artistic traditions of the 20th century.
From May 20 to September 28, 2026, Villa Medici is hosting the fifth edition of the Festival des Cabanes.
Set in the Renaissance gardens of Villa Medici, near the Spanish Steps, the fifth edition of the Festival des Cabanes runs from May 20 to September 28, 2026. The festival transforms the grounds of the French Academy in Rome into a laboratory for architectural experimentation, presenting six temporary cabins made from wood, metal and recycled materials.
Designed by architects, artists and designers, the installations explore sustainable construction, non-invasive architecture and new ways of connecting built spaces with the surrounding landscape.
The concept behind the cabane serves as a creative starting point, prompting architects, designers, artists, and landscape architects to ask important questions: How can we build in ways that are gentle on the environment?What might sustainable living look like in the future?
For those visiting Rome this summer, Festival des Cabanes offers a refreshing and thought-provoking break from traditional sightseeing. It’s a chance to see how contemporary creative minds are reimagining space, right in the heart of one of the city’s most iconic cultural landmarks.
Bento Architecture has created a suspended dome made from wood and mycelium, offering visitors shade and coolness while reinterpreting the archetype of the Roman dome.
ECAL, the University of Art and Design Lausanne, has created a trompe-l’œil façade using ceramic tiles, giving the illusion of a complete house within the garden.
Foundation Huttopia raised a sustainable tent-like cabin designed for sustainable housing and based on similar structures used by the Cree Nation in Quebec.
NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti has reused materials from the 2025 exhibition to create chairs and seating areas for the Villa Medici gardens.
PRÌA and VELIA have arranged terracotta vessels around a travertine base to create a natural cooling system beneath the garden’s trees, offering visitors a shaded place to sit.
Finally, Salazarsequeromedina presents a simple wooden pavilion with an awning, designed as a refuge for birds and a shaded space where visitors can pause and contemplate.
The Festival des Cabanes 2026 is open from May 20 to September 28. Tickets cost €10 at full price and €8 for visitors aged 18–24. Admission is free for visitors under 18, eligible members and visitors with disabilities.
As part of the Festival des Cabanes, Villa Medici will host Nuit des Cabanes – Living Tomorrow on June 25 from 5pm to midnight. The evening will feature more than twenty events across the gardens, including workshops, performances, readings, tastings, concerts and DJ sets.
The programme explores sustainability, climate-conscious solutions and new ways of reconnecting with nature through music, dance, talks and participatory activities.
A separate €5 pass is required. Some activities also require advance booking at no additional cost, while the remaining events are accessible to pass holders subject to availability.
Over 200 photographs to explore the intersection between art, the human body and physical perfection at Ara Pacis Museum
From May 29 to October 4 2026, Rome’s Ara Pacis Museum is hosting The Shapes of Beauty, a collection of over 200 photographs by American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Curated by Denis Curti, the show explores the relationship between art, the human body and the idea of physical perfection.
Divided into roughly six sections, The Shapes of Beauty exhibition is a must-see for those looking for a new twist on the portrayal of the human body on film. Each section is unique, covering various aspects of Mapplethorpe’s work and styles. The beginning section has newspaper clipping collages of sensual scenes, a cross stitched with white carpet, a painting of a flower, and a photograph of a nude man holding a cat. While probably the exhibition’s least exciting section, it is necessary to understand the rest of the work on display and the creative processes Mapplethorpe took.
The next section is dedicated to his two “muses”: friend, lover, and confidant Patti Smith, and bodybuilder and model Lisa Lyon. Smith was one of the most important figures in Mapplethorpe’s life, and the photographs of her on display are cheerful, more candid, and diverse than the other subjects displayed. The photos of Lyon are a representation of Mapplethorpe’s fascination with her masculine physique yet feminine beauty. She is posed flexing and revealing her musculature, evoking a more masculine style of photography, but she is also posed wearing animal print dresses and laying down, appealing to her femininity. These women held great influence in the life of Mapplethorpe, and the care he took in creating the photos is evident on a personal level, rather than an aesthetic level.
Continuing on, we see various self-portraits of Mapplethorpe. Mapplethorpe’s life was short as he passed away at 42 from HIV/AIDS. The self-portraits on display are from the final years of his life, and while he was in great pain taking them and curating them, his pain is not reflected in the pictures presented. He is seen wearing various costumes and in various poses, the most striking of which is him staring at the camera in a leather jacket holding a tommy gun with a pentagram painted on the wall behind him. Contrast this with a photo of him in drag and makeup, smiling off to the side. Human personalities are complex and vibrant and the photos on display provide an excellent look into Mapplethorpe’s.
After his self-portraits are the portraits he took of various artists and celebrities. Mapplethorpe lived and did a majority of his work in New York City in the 70s and 80s, at first taking pictures of his fellow artist friends, but then branching into celebrity photography. Some of the more recognizable portraits on display are those of Yoko Ono, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Keith Haring, Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere, and Christopher Lambert. While none of the portraits are particularly remarkable in terms of style or posing, the remarkable thing is seeing how many different artists and celebrities he was able to interact with during his short career.
The Shapes of Beauty is the main event. These photos feature mostly nude, muscular male and female models, posing in a way that evokes that of ancient sculpture. There is a wall dedicated to comparisons of each photograph with their real life-inspired counterpart, and the room also contains two first century AD sculptures from the Capitoline Museum: the Statue of Aphrodite and the Statue of an Athlete. The photographs are not your typical “photos of an athlete.” Mapplethorpe instead brings his focus in on very specific body parts. Some pictures are of arms coming from the side of the frame, some are of clenched male and female buttocks, some are bare chests, some are genitals.
The exhibition is not meant to be pornographic, but rather a celebration of the human physique through simple, personal photographs. No photograph feels out of place within this section, and the point is to examine the beauty of the human body. This beauty is contrasted with flowers as well. Mapplethorpe is famous for his photographs of flowers, many collected in his posthumous 1990 book Flowers. Often images of models are accompanied by a collection of flower images, showing not only the shapes of beauty within the human world, but in the natural world as well.
The exhibition concludes with photos Mapplethorpe took while in Italy. This exhibition is tailored to every location it is shown in, and Mapplethorpe’s photographs here deviate from the others, displaying the beauty of Italian architecture and landscape rather than more flowers or models.
Robert Mapplethorpe’s “The Shapes of Beauty” is a must-see for art and photography lovers everywhere. The presentation is simple, but the themes are complex and evocative. This is not your ordinary photo gallery, and it is not afraid to tell you that either. Spend a good 20-30 minutes wandering through the sections and then be sure to sit for the brief explanatory video between the Lisa Lyon and self-portrait sections to gain more insight into the creative processes of Robert Mapplethorpe.
The exhibition has audio guides available in several languages, a podcast that will be releasing shortly after the exhibition’s opening with two episodes diving deeper into the history of the collection, and it is fully available to experience for those deaf or blind. Opening May 29, you do not want to miss this unique experience.
The world’s most important photojournalism contest-exhibition
From 7 May to 29 June 2026, the 69th edition of World Press Photo returns to Rome at Palazzo delle Esposizioni.
The exhibition, created by the World Press Photo Foundation in Amsterdam, promoted by Roma Culture and organised by Azienda Speciale Palaexpo in collaboration with 10b Photography, will showcase the finalist photographs of the prestigious photojournalism award, which since 1955 has honoured professional photographers every year for their best images, helping to build the history of the world’s finest visual journalism.
For this edition, the global and regional juries, composed of international experts, reviewed 57,376 photographs and projects submitted by 3,747 photographers from 141 countries. This year’s edition presents 42 projects, 9 more than last year, with three winners in each category per region and one long-term project winner per region.
The Photo of the Year is Separated by ICE, taken by American photographer Carol Guzy for the Miami Herald. The image, captured inside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York, documents the moment a man is detained by immigration agents after a hearing, separating him from his family. The photograph was awarded for its ability to make visible, in a direct and deeply human way, the impact of migration policies: not as an isolated case, but as a systemic condition affecting people who turn to institutions in good faith.
Joumana El Zein Khoury, Executive Director of World Press Photo, said:
“This image shows the inconsolable grief of children losing their father in a place built for justice. It is a raw and necessary testimony to family separation following United States reform policies. In a democracy, the presence of the camera in that corridor becomes an act of witnessing: it tells the story of a policy that has turned courtrooms into places of shattered lives. It is a powerful example of why independent photojournalism matters.”
The 2026 finalists
Two other finalist photographs ultimately gave way to this powerful portrait of family separation. The first is Aid Emergency in Gaza by Saber Nuraldin (EPA Images), which shows Palestinian civilians climbing onto an aid truck in an attempt to obtain food. The photograph was selected for its compositional strength and its ability to convey the urgency of famine, transforming a scene of chaos into visual evidence of the humanitarian crisis and its global implications.
The second finalist is The Trials of Achi Women by Victor J. Blue (The New York Times Magazine), a collective portrait of Indigenous Maya Achi women who survived violence during Guatemala’s civil war. Taken outside a courthouse, the image was recognised for its measured approach and its ability to restore dignity and authority to its subjects, documenting a historic moment of justice after decades of impunity.
Chantal Pinzi is the only Italian photographer awarded in this edition, taking first place in the Stories category for the Africa Region with her project ‘Farīsāt: Gunpowder’s Daughters’. The photographs tell the story of a group of women in Morocco who take part in Tbourida, a historic patriarchal equestrian tradition (pictured above). For centuries, Tbourida was an exclusively male activity, but female riders have continuously fought for inclusion since the reform of Morocco’s family code strengthened women’s legal rights. Today, seven all-female groups perform out of a total of around 300 participating teams. These farīsāt, or female riders, bear significant personal costs, financing their own horses, costumes and gunpowder permits. Their perseverance is a powerful affirmation of women’s rightful place in Moroccan heritage.
One of the most striking images is undoubtedly Polar Bear on Sperm Whale by Roie Galitz: a female polar bear feeds on the carcass of a sperm whale on the polar ice pack north of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago on 8 July 2025. The photograph bears witness to the severity of global warming: this latitude is unusually far north for sperm whales, which favour temperate waters around the world and tend to stay away from ice.
The judging of the World Press Photo Contest 2026 took place between January and February 2026. The selection was first carried out by six regional juries, after which the winners were chosen by an independent global jury.
Kira Pollack, chair of the 2026 global jury, said:
“Photojournalism has never been easy work. It has never been profitable, nor safe, nor guaranteed an audience. And yet, photographers go. They go to courtrooms and conflict zones, to the quietest corners of the world, where history is being written without witnesses. They do it because they believe that seeing matters. That evidence matters.”
An exclusive opportunity to check out your favourite museums and archaeological sites at night
Rome’s Night of museums is back! Museums, monuments, art galleries, archaeological sites, libraries, academies and embassies in Rome and throughout Italy are open to the public for the symbolic price of €1 on Saturday night, May 23 from 8pm-2am (last admission at 1am),hosting many events including art shows, music, dance, theatre, cinema, readings, guided tours.
Among the participating museums: Capitoline Museums, Centrale Montemartini, Mercati di Traiano – Museo dei Fori Imperiali, Museo dell’Ara Pacis, Museo di Roma, Museo Napoleonico, Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Museo Pietro Canonica a Villa Borghese, Musei di Villa Torlonia (Casina delle Civette, Casino Nobile, Serra Moresca), Museo delle Mura, Museo Carlo Bilotti – Aranciera di Villa Borghese, Museo di Scultura Antica Giovanni Barracco, Museo Civico di Zoologia, Museo della Repubblica Romana e della memoria garibaldina, Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Museo di Casal de’ Pazzi and more.
Also that night in various locations, the city of Rome will host concerts and special performances and events.
For the full list of the participating museums and sites, check out museiincomuneroma.it
From May 16 to 24, Rome welcomes back its much-loved architecture-focused event, opening over 220 sites to the public.
From 16 to 24 May, 2026, Open House Rome returns with nine days dedicated to architecture, design, and discovery. Visitors will have the rare opportunity to explore (for free) over 220 sites across the city, from contemporary architecture and historic landmarks to private homes, usually closed to the public.
The programme goes beyond guided visits, also featuring tours, events, educational activities inside some of Rome’s museums, and urban walks through neighborhoods of particular architectural interest.
Bookings will open at 6pm on April 27. To take part, visitors must register on the event’s official website: some sites will be accessible by reservation, while others may have different access procedures depending on the visit.
Part of the international Open House network, which takes place in major cities around the world, Open House Roma invites both locals and visitors to experience the city through the lens of architecture, design, and innovation.
The program includes iconic places, such as cultural institutes, representative offices, and academies (the Egyptian Academy, the Hungarian Academy, Villa Medici – French Academy…), museums, historic buildings, sites of scientific and cultural interest.
All sites can be visited by reservation through the event’s official website.
OPEN HOUSE 2026: HIGHLIGHTS WITH ENGLISH-LANGUAGE TOURS
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)
Largo delle Vittime del Terrorismo, 4 Max 60 people per visit – Duration: 75 min English tour: Sunday 24th at 3pm
Since its founding in 1945 FAO has set itself the goal of ending hunger, achieving food security for all and improving nutrition, promoting sustainable agriculture. The FAO headquarters is housed in a complex of buildings designed in 1938 by Vittorio Cafiero and Mario Ridolfi. The tour includes a visit to the Organization’s most important and emblematic rooms and the evocative panoramic terrace; the tour concludes with a self-guided visit to FAO MuNe, where visitors can explore the artistic and cultural collection.
Il Palazzo dell’Agricoltura
Via XX Settembre, 20 Max 25 people per visit – Duration: 45 min English Tour: 16 May at 4:15 p.m.
The Palazzo dell’Agricoltura, built at the beginning of the ‘900s, between the height of the Belle Epoque and the outbreak of the Great War, testifies to the fervor that in those years brought architects, engineers, artists, and workers around the construction of the Ministry: all involved in presenting the new capital of the Kingdom, a city that finally aspired to modernity. The building houses the National Historical Library of Agriculture and, recently installed, the new museum area dedicated to the renowned wheat geneticist Nazareno Strampelli.
Palazzo INAIL
Piazza del Grillo, 1 Max 30 people per visit – Duration: 50 min. English Tour: 23 May at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Palazzo INAIL, designed by Armando Brasini and Guido Zevi, is a monumental setting on Via IV Novembre, resolving, through its base and a system of stairs harmoniously integrated into the interior spaces, the difference in height between the entrance and the Quirinale Hill. Brasini, an eclectic figure linked to the Roman construction tradition, works ornamentation as an intrinsic part of his architecture and forges it until it becomes a refined connection between the wall mass and the space.
Villa Maraini – Swiss Institute in Rome
Via Ludovisi, 48 Max 15 people per visit – Duration: 60 min English Tour at 2 p.m.
Villa Maraini, a jewel of early 20th-century Rome, is currently home to the Swiss Institute in Rome; it was built for Emilio Maraini, a highly successful Swiss industrialist. It stands on an artificial hill and is surrounded by a beautiful garden. From its characteristic belvedere tower, just a few meters below the dome of St. Peter’s in the Vatican, you can enjoy a splendid panoramic view of all of Rome.
Palazzo delle Finanze (Headquarters of the Ministry of Economy and Finance)
Via XX Settembre, 97 Max 25 people per visit – duration: 60 min English Tour at 10:15 and 11:45 a.m.
The Palazzo delle Finanze, commissioned by Quintino Sella and designed by Raffaele Canevari, is the first major construction in Rome, the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. The historical-artistic itinerary includes: a Renaissance-style quadriportico; a historical library with volumes from the pre-unification states; the Sala Azzurra with its decorated coffered ceiling; the Sala del Parlamentino; the Sala Ciampi, formerly the Hall of the Majority, where the first Councils of Ministers were held; and the Sala dei Bronzi, with four sculptures by Giovan Battista Foggini. Also included in the visit are the Treasury Department Library, the multifunctional hub of the Department of General Accounting of the State with the Luca Pacioli Library and the Treasury Information Pool area.
American Academy in Rome
Via Angelo Masina, 5 Max 25 people per visit – Duration: 45 min Information in English available on request
The American Academy in Rome, founded in 1894, supports the work of innovative artists, writers, and scholars who live and work together within a dynamic international community. The main building, designed by McKim, Mead & White and completed in 1914, is the structural heart and soul of the Academy: inside are the living quarters, studios, a gallery for temporary exhibitions, administrative offices and a library with a first-rate research centre. The Academy offers a wide range of academic, artistic and cultural events each year, free of charge and open to the public.
Shape Hunt – Archaeological walk for children in Colle Oppio (in English)
Piazza Martin Lutero Max 25 people per visit – Duration: 90 min English tour
Walking through Colle Oppio Park, one of the most interesting green areas in our city, children will observe numerous archaeological remains, using an art map designed by ARTandSEEK as the basis of their project, divided into two phases: the first phase involves observing the archaeological remains and finding shapes to identify on the map; during the second phase, children will transform the map into an individual artistic creation. The workshop is conducted entirely in English with help for children who are learning the language. The educational method is based on open-ended questions and constant interaction of children with the group and the guide.
Chiostro di San Pietro in Vincoli. Faculty of Engineering
Via Eudossiana, 18 Max 25 people per visit – duration: 80 min Information in English available on request
The first school for the professional training of engineering was born in Rome thanks to Pope Pius VII (1817). In 1935 the school became the Faculty of Engineering, moving in 1873 to the premises of the convent of the Lateran Canons, annexed to the church of San Pietro in Vincoli. In 1918 Professor. Milani designs the complex we admire today according to the block typology with four internal courtyards. Noteworthy are the State Rooms, one of which is entirely frescoed, used for events and conferences, and the splendid Boaga Library, developed on two levels, which hosts thousands of students every day as well as a considerable number of specialist volumes.
A Hundred Painters on Via Margutta: the open-air spring exhibition returns from April 30 to May 3
Via Margutta is a narrow, enchanted, beautiful street, located in the heart of Rome. The charming paved street is filled with unique art galleries, antique shops, fashion houses, and custom made marble shops perfect for strolling. It takes you back to one of the most memorable scenes from the movie “Roman Holiday” where Gregory Peck held Audrey Hepburn hostage in his apartment. Also, the charming street was where director Federico Fellini and Giulietta Masina once lived.
The 125th edition of I Cento Pittori di Via Margutta, one of Rome’s most beloved open-air art exhibitions, will take place from April 30 to May 3, 2026. This year’s spring edition will be dedicated to the especially timely theme “Nature in Transformation”.
The theme will be explored by each artist through either a figurative or abstract approach, with a classical or experimental style, using landscape, detail, material, mark-making, colour, light, layering, or gesture.
Set along one of Rome’s most charming streets, the exhibition offers visitors the chance to discover contemporary art in a unique and atmospheric setting. Via Margutta, lined with galleries, antique shops, and historic buildings, becomes an open-air gallery where visitors can admire oil paintings, drawings, and watercolours in a wide variety of styles, while also meeting the artists behind the works.
The event is free of charge, open from 10am to 8pm, and features more than 100 Italian and international artists. Organised by the Associazione Cento Pittori Via Margutta since 1953, the exhibition continues to be a long-standing rendezvous for art lovers in Rome.
In Rome at Night: Hervé Gloaguen at the Museum of Rome in Trastevere
Rome has been the muse of artists since time immemorial, and Hervé Gloaguen is one of them. From March 25 to September 6, 2026, the Museum of Rome in Trastevere (Piazza di Sant’Egidio 1/b) invites visitors, photography enthusiasts, and students to discover how the Eternal City is captured in its most evocative light.
Gloaguen is a curious and passionate artist, constantly seeking to deepen his understanding of his muse – Rome. His work focuses on the city by night, capturing its charm and elegance after dark. Hence the title of the exhibition, A Roma la Nuit (Rome at Night). His images portray young people gathered around fountains, on café terraces, and in restaurants; people dancing in piazzas, revealing the authentic spirit of Rome.
In 1974, Gloaguen traveled to Rome with his young family, a trip during which he first fell in love with the city. At a time when many of his contemporaries were working in black and white, he chose color as his primary medium. His photographs are carefully composed, emotionally engaging, and infused with the essence of Rome. Distinct yellow hues, burnt orange, and sepia tones dominate his images, while a deep amber glow gives them their unmistakable warmth.
Yet the most compelling element is not the monumental backdrop – with its churches, fountains, Baroque art, and statues – but the people themselves. Gloaguen captures those who gather in piazzas, sing, and sip spritz on warm evenings. He is fascinated by the way the city fosters a sense of shared belonging. The exhibition becomes a tribute not only to Rome, but also to those who experience it and, even briefly, become part of its ever-evolving life.
Hervé Gloaguen was born in 1937 in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine). In 1958, he enrolled at the École technique de photographie et de cinématographie (ETPC), where he trained as a photographer. He immersed himself in creative circles, photographing amateur jazz musicians and emerging actors.
The exhibition is promoted by the Department of Culture of Rome Capitale – Superintendence of the Capitoline Museums. It is organized by the Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie (MPP) of the French Ministry of Culture and curated by Hervé Gloaguen and Emmanuel Marguet, with technical supervision by Giulia Frache. Museum services are provided by Zètema Progetto Cultura.
The exhibition is part of a broader cultural program running from January 29 to December 31, 2026, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Rome–Paris twinning and highlighting the artistic, historical, and creative dialogue between the two capitals.
An intimate exploration of the life and work of Hokusai, one of the most revered and influential japanese artists of all time.
From March 27 to June 29, in the heart of Rome, Palazzo Bonaparte will host an extraordinary exhibition showcasing 200 pieces by the timeless Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), on loan from the renowned National Museum in Krakow.
Hokusai stands out as a central figure of the Edo period (1603–1868), a time when the Floating World culture of Ukiyo-e flourished and later deeply influenced both Japanese and Western art.
The exhibition is divided into two floors, tracing Hokusai’s journey through 1800s Japan and composing a visual dialogue with his iconic works, including The Great Wave off Kanagawa, his serene Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, and his revolutionary sketchbook series Manga.
Nature was Hokusai’s lifelong muse. The first floor of the exhibition transports visitors to 1800s Japan, offering a glimpse into the artist’s evolution in his tireless experimentation with form, technique, and narrative. As a lover of his land, Hokusai’s early pieces, such as The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, portray his deep reverence for his country and its landscapes.
Visitors are invited to witness how his observation of nature goes beyond mere representation, as he not only captures its physicality but also its emotional dimension.
Ultimately, what is profoundly compelling is Hokusai’s ability to capture human life and merge it with nature. In many of his works, such as View of Mount Fuji from Lake Suwa Shinshū Suwa-ko, the sacred mountain shares the canvas with humble human-built structures. While Mount Fuji often recedes into the background, it is the human presence that emerges on the canvas, magnifying Hokusai’s sensitivity to life.
As a prodigy of observation, Hokusai’s creative arc led him to explore plants, seasons, animals, human figures, and all in between, ultimately constructing eternal landscapes.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
It was only after turning seventy that he created some of his most famous masterpieces, including his most iconic image: The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
Known as his most renowned piece, it symbolizes the destructive power of nature against humanity’s fragility (small fishing boats), while the delicate strokes that shape pieces of Mount Fuji reveal a profound harmony between humanity and the natural world. The piece serves as a metaphor for Japan’s vulnerability to foreign, Western influences during a time of a self imposed isolation.
It is part of the Master of Water series, which showcases Hokusai’s ability to depict the fluidity and movement of water in all its forms. The exhibition reveals how Hokusai could capture the infinite variations of the element, with no two shapes alike in the entire series.
Water is explored in depth throughout the first part of the exhibition. The series “A Journey Among the Waterfalls of Various Provinces” conveys a dynamic rhythm through Hokusai’s exceptional brushwork, transforming nature into an elegant flow of energy.
The Old Man Mad About Painting (“Gakyō rōjin”)
In his later years, he often signed his works as “Gakyō rōjin,” meaning “Old Man Mad About Painting,” a name that reflects his way of observing the world and reinventing it through his drawing.
The second floor of the exhibition shifts focus to the rich cultural, spiritual, and literary side of 1800s Japan. Here, visitors are immersed in its myths, legends, and folklore, brought to life through his work alongside over 180 pieces, including rare books and valuable Japanese objects such as kimonos, travel accessories, armor, helmets, swords, and traditional musical instruments.
Visitors will encounter fascinating scenes in the series One Hundred Ghost Stories ,with each piece underscoring the deep connection between Hokusai’s work and Japan’s cultural heritage.
This part of the exhibition also reveals lesser-known facets of Hokusai’s character, such as his wit and playful spirit. In “Self-Portrait as a Fisherman,” a refined surimono print in which the artist humorously engages with his own image, offers a glimpse of his lighthearted side.
Manga
In the art world, Hokusai is known as the father of Manga, a genre of Japanese comics that evolved from simple sketches into a respected art form. He created a 15-volume collection that reveals his innovative approach to visual storytelling.
The exhibition showcases some of his most celebrated manga, shedding light on how his restless experimentation and his desire to communicate complex ideas through drawing.
A Lasting Legacy
The exhibition is further enriched with a different perspective on 19th-century Japan through the photographs of Italian traveller and photographer Felice Beato, who was among the first to document the country as it opened up to the West.
Beato’s images, presented in a video that tells his life story and artistic journey, portray landscapes, cities, and scenes of daily life, creating an ideal extension of the dialogue with Hokusai’s visual universe.
Hokusai’s influence on Western artists, including Claude Monet, Van Gogh, and even composers like Claude Debussy, is evident in the way he redefined what art could be beyond observation, and how it could communicate the connection between the beauty of nature and the depth of the human figure.
The exhibition also features an immersive installation inspired by Hokusai’s Great Wave, which aims to challenge each visitor to face their own wave eye to eye.
A journey through the works of one of the most popular artists of twentieth-century Italy.
At Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, visitors can explore, until July 12, a major retrospective dedicated to Mario Schifano, one of the most significant and popular figures in Italian art of the second half of the twentieth century.
The exhibition, curated by Daniela Lancioni, brings together more than 100 works from Italian and international public and private collections, arranged in chronological order in the museum’s large ground-floor rotunda and the seven adjoining rooms.
A journey through the artist’s imagination, from the informal, richly textured works of the 1950s to the first monochromes of the following decade, including iconic paintings that revisit major movements in art history that came before him, as in the case of the Futurists.
Futurismo rivisitato a colori, 1965, Collezione privata
The 1980s saw works inspired by the language of television and cinema take center stage in his practice, while the 1990s were devoted to themes of social emergency.
Mario Schifano dared and experimented: the exhibition highlights his innovations, underscoring the complexity of his work and its strong connection to the contemporary world, and beyond. His pictorial research, often ahead of its time, always remained aware of the importance of the artistic legacy of the past. His style reveals an exuberant and ongoing regeneration of painting through the use of highly diverse techniques, materials and processes.
Il nòcciolo tenero e sensibilissimo del suo animo è la passione per la pittura.
Cesare Vivaldi, critic and poet, on Mario Schifano in 1963.
After the retrospective exhibitions dedicated to Cesare Tacchi, Jim Dine, Don McCullin, Boris Mikhailov and Carla Accardi, Palazzo delle Esposizioni continues its exhibition program aimed at highlighting figures and movements that have significantly shaped Italian visual culture since the mid-twentieth century, with particular attention to the city of Rome.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a rich program of educational and entertainment activities. Of particular interest is the free-admission film series Al cinema di Schifano, featuring screenings of films made by the artist in the museum’s cinema hall. Throughout the exhibition route, visitors will also be able to watch the short films Schifano created over the course of his career.
The photographer of everyday life on display at the Museo del Genio
It’s no coincidence that in the coming months Paris will seem closer than ever. Until July 19, Rome hosts an exhibition dedicated to the great French photographer Robert Doisneau, on display at the Museo del Genio on Lungotevere della Vittoria.
The exhibition traces the life of one of the most important figures of 20th-century French humanist photography, known worldwide for his ironic shots in which the depth of human nature emerges from everyday life.
The 140 photographs on display are organized into six thematic sections (Personal Albums, Paris, Mondanités, Children, Color, Postcards, and Celebrities), spanning the entirety of Doisneau’s work. From street scenes capturing children at play to portrait shots of some of the most prominent artists and cultural figures of the time, Doisneau never fails to evoke a smile or capture the essence of a moment with remarkable precision.
Les coiffeuses au soleil_, Paris juin 1966 HD
Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville
A dedicated section focuses on the iconic photograph Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville, first published in 1950 in a small format as part of a journalistic feature. At the time, however, the image did not immediately become an icon.
That Doisneau was a romantic is beyond question, but audiences may be surprised to learn that the most famous kiss in photography history was, in fact, staged. Doisneau had been commissioned by Life magazine to produce a reportage on lovers in Paris, wandering along the city’s boulevards in search of moments of affection and passion. Yet, it seems that at the time it was not so easy to find couples kissing in public.
And so, two theater students, Françoise Bornet and Jacques Carteaud, became the actors and eternal protagonists of Doisneau’s most famous shot.
In the 1990s, the image became the subject of a complex legal dispute over image rights, a case that helped define more clearly the relationship between photography, public recognition, and the right to one’s image. Yet even this controversy ultimately reinforced its myth, cementing the act of kissing in the street as one of the most enduring and iconic motifs in photography.
Les Frères, rue du Docteur Lecène, Paris 1936 HD
A Portrait of the 20th Century
This exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate 200 years of photography as a visual form of expression and to rediscover one of its masters, who was able to capture through his lens emotions and moments that remain timeless.
Through his camera, he gave us portraits of everyday Parisians, as well as a true snapshot of his time, capturing some of the most prominent figures of the 20th century: Jacques Prévert, Alberto Giacometti, Georges Braque, Sabine Azéma, Blaise Cendrars, Colette, Simone de Beauvoir, Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso, and Jean Cocteau.
Vénus prise à la gorge, jardin des Tuileries 1964 HD
Caravaggio illuminates Rome once again! From March 7 to June 7, 2026, the Museo Storico della Fanteria invites visitors to immerse themselves in the art world of Caravaggism and the work of an entire generation of masters of light.
Curated by Alberto Bertuzzi and Francesco Mazzeo, this exhibition explores the influence of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio on an entire generation of artists. Taking visitors on a unique journey that showcases the work of twenty-three prolific artists, including Bartolomeo Manfredi, Antiveduto Gramatica, Orazio Gentileschi, Massimo Stanzione, Giuseppe Vermiglio, Carlo Saraceni, Simon Vouet, among others.
Caravaggio’s exceptional mastery of light turned him into a transformative figure in the art world. Furthermore, it became a defining characteristic of his style, driving how others would approach and perceive oil painting.
The exhibition, divided into six thematic sections, has light at its heart, portraying how it wasn’t just a means of illumination, but a powerful tool that immerses the viewer into the abstract side of emotion, narrative, and spiritual depth of the canvas.
Starting the journey with a piece by Bartolomeo Manfredi that conveys tension and drama, visitors engage with the experience of those who took the master’s challenge of showing how light can be a tool for emotion and storytelling.
Orazio Gentileschi Santa Cecilia e un angelo – XVII sec. Collezione privata
Naturalism Meets the Power of Light
As the exhibition unfolds, it leads you through the delicate balance of light and shadow in the works of artists like Orazio Gentileschi and Massimo Stanzione. Their masterpieces are a paradox of natural atmospheres and deep emotional scenes, using light as a companion to character emotion.
Naturalism in art refers to the approach that seeks to resemble subjects as they appear in nature. Accuracy and detail are emphasized in this style, making light, texture, and form key components.
The works in this section reveal delicate gestures and soft atmospheres. Light accompanies the emotions of the characters and gives depth to the scenes. This showcases the ability of Caravaggio’s followers to use his techniques while adapting them to different styles and perceptions.
Michelangelo Merisi detto Caravaggio L’Incredulità di San Tommaso 1600-1601 Collezione privata
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas
The exhibition closes the journey with a masterpiece by Caravaggio and Prospero Orsi, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas.
As a focal point of the exhibition, it exemplifies Caravaggio’s mastery in shaping forms and volumes with light. In it, viewers witness his skillful chiaroscuro and use of dramatic contrast, which allows for a unique ability to infuse human emotions into his subjects. The intensity captured in this work highlights and encapsulates Caravaggio’s legacy as a master figure in the history of art.
Caravaggio’s Influence Beyond Italy
Gerrit van Honthorst Lettura a lume di candela XVII sec. Collezione privata
Caravaggio’s influence extended beyond Italian artists.
Paintings by international artists like Matthias Stomer, Bartholomeus Van der Helstand, Jusepe de Ribera reveal how Caravaggio swayed the imaginations of artists across Europe. The exhibition takes you beyond Rome and Naples, exploring how Caravaggio’s ideas crossed borders into Spain, France, and the Netherlands.
Furthermore it includes contributions from the Bolognese school, including works by Simone Cantarini, whose mastery of light and shadow harmonizes with Caravaggio’s original vision.
Their reinterpretations of Caravaggio’s light and shadow illustrate the far-reaching effects of this creative mastermind.
Don’t miss Matisse Exhibition at the same venue
While visiting the museum, you can also explore another major exhibition: “The Last Matisse – Morphologies of Paper,” on view at the same venue until June 28, 2026, dedicated to the master’s late works on paper and his innovative cut-outs.
More than 50 masterpieces from the Vienna museum celebrating a remarkable chapter of European art and history.
The rooms of the Museo del Corso at Palazzo Cipolla will host, until July 5, the highly anticipated exhibition From Vienna to Rome: Habsburg Treasures from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, a journey through art and history that is also a dynastic portrait, emblematic of the splendor of the Empire and the cultural ambition of the Habsburgs.
Promoted and produced by the Fondazione Roma in collaboration with the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM), the exhibition, curated by Cäcilia Bischoff, brings together more than 50 masterpieces commissioned between the 16th and 19th centuries by key figures of the House of Habsburg, offering a portrait of an empire that used art as a powerful instrument of cultural representation, the dissemination of knowledge, and dialogue between civilizations.
The exhibition route
The exhibition opens with a room dedicated to the architecture of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the monumental building designed by Gottfried Semper and Carl Hasenauer and inaugurated in 1891 as part of the major urban plan commissioned by Emperor Franz Joseph I. The museum is placed in dialogue with Palazzo Cipolla, the Roman venue hosting the exhibition, through the figure of its architect Antonio Cipolla, who was active during the same decades.
The rest of the exhibition celebrates, through distinct sections, European painting between the 16th and 17th centuries, presented through its main genres and geographic origins: Flemish, Dutch, German, and finally Italian.
The great representatives of Flemish art are present with works characterized by intense colors, where nature takes center stage, as in the floral explosion of irises and butterflies by Jan Brueghel the Elder.
The great representatives of Flemish art are present with works characterized by intense colors, where nature takes center stage, as in the floral explosion of irises and butterflies by Jan Brueghel the Elder.
While the section dedicated to 17th-century Dutch painting focuses on genre scenes drawn from everyday life, a subject particularly favored by the bourgeois and Protestant society of the time, the German section draws inspiration from the precious Renaissance legacy of Lucas Cranach, a key figure in shaping an autonomous artistic language characterized by strong stylization and an exceptional mastery of line and drawing.
The innermost rooms of the exhibition maze are devoted to objects from the Kunstkammer, the celebrated Renaissance cabinets of curiosities: a collection of natural oddities and creations of human ingenuity, intended to astonish and delight the eyes of the visitor.
Over the course of more than three centuries, Habsburg collecting led to the acquisition of extraordinary works that reflected the tastes of different patrons, yet were all united by a single common thread: excellence. Above all stands Diego Velázquez, with his portrait of Infanta Margarita in a blue dress, an iconic work of court portraiture. The precise, almost severe rendering of the child’s clothing and hairstyle is softened by the youthful blush of her cheeks and the emotional and psychological intensity of her gaze.
Italian painting holds an important place in the Viennese collection. On display are masterpieces by Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Orazio Gentileschi, Guido Cagnacci, and even a stunning Caravaggio.
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt by Orazio Gentileschi is a family portrait of striking realism, depicting Saint Joseph lying awkwardly asleep from exhaustion while the Virgin nurses the infant Jesus, whose gaze is directed toward the viewer, a device often used in painting to draw the spectator into the scene.
In Mars, Venus and Cupid by Titian, the soft, rosy nude of the goddess of love, a symbol of seduction and surrender to pleasure, contrasts with the pale, moonlike coldness of the lifeless body of Cleopatra in Guido Cagnacci’s painting, lost in the sleep of death after the bite of the asp, still coiled around her arm, under the desperate gaze of her attendants.
Last but not least, the final room comes as a surprise thanks to the presence of Caravaggio’s Crowning with Thorns, one of the masterpieces of the exhibition. It is a dramatic scene, rendered with an almost photographic composition and marked by the masterful use of light and shadow, in which a suffering Christ, noble and strikingly beautiful, is at the mercy of two male figures, crude and brutal both in appearance and gesture. On the left, a knight in 17th-century armor, contemporary to the painter, watches the scene almost as if he were in a theater, with his hand resting on the edge of the frame, symbolically invading the viewer’s space in a perspectival game that blurs the boundary between art and reality.
New exhibition in Rome documents Henri Matisse’s final and most transformative years through artist books, cut-paper, and drawings.
Rome’s newest art exhibition at Museo Storico della Fanteria trunks its focus to the final, radical period of Henri Matisse’s career, and is a sure experience to captivate both art-world enthusiasts and casual surveyors.
L’Ultimo Matisse: Morfologie di Carta (The Last Matisse: Paper Morphologies), curated by contemporary art curator Vittoria Mainoldi, traces the French artist’s final years with precision and sensitivity. Defined by bold experimentation with découpé, collage, and publishing, this late period is not an epilogue, but a reinvention.
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) stands as one of the most reverent artists of twentieth century modernism. A leading force in Fauvism – an artistic style which prioritized bold coloring and styling over the realism of the Impressionist era – Matisse was a tour de force in reinventing. From luminous paintings and sculptures to illustrated books and cut-paper découpés, his art was pursuant of radical simplicity, imbuing form and color into works that once seemed deeply deliberate.
Mainoldi structures the exhibit as though it were a book, unfolding across fourvibrants chapters of blue (Verve), yellow (Libri d’artista e libri illustrati), magenta (Jazz), and black (Disegno). Each room is an oasis of intimacy, immersing visitors in the artist’s metamorphosis of the mid-twentieth century – a period marked by physical ailments yet extraordinary creative freedom.
Vervefeatures works produced for the eponymous postwar magazine, a staple of visual experimentation. Here, Matisse found freedom in vibrant lithographs and democratising the artistic process, channeling immediacy through color and simple forms.
In Libri d’artista e libri illustrati, focus shifts to Matisse’s endeavor of illustrations for artist’s books, ranging from Stéphane Mallarmé’s Poésies to James Joyce’s Ulysses. His signature continuous lines – often known now as the “Matissean line” – bring vitality to written text. The drawings move beyond illustrations and textual collaborations, and propose instead a reimagination of books as shared space for the visual and literary.
Jazz takes the shape of the artist’s book of the same name, marking a decisive shift from painting to découpés. Here, Experimentation came in the harmony of saturated colors, bold silhouettes and biographical text. These elements exist in rhythm, depicting Matisse’s belief that art is a visual language.
Lastly, Disegnocarries Matisse’s work at their most bare and intimate. Charcoal on white paper, line and void work in tandem express a distilled intimacy. For Matisse, drawings – whether nudes, still lives or faces – were the final result, a final expression of memory in its rawest form.
Taken together, Matisse’s final works represent art as sites of dialogue rather than decoration. In assembling these final pieces, L’Ultimo Matisse reveals limitation became liberation, and how reinvention, even in waning years, defines an enduring legacy.
L’Ultimo Matisse will run from 28 February to 28 June at the Museo Storico della Fanteria.
Don’t miss Caravaggio and the Masters of Light at the same venue
At the same venue, visitors can also discover “Caravaggio and the Masters of Light,” an exhibition exploring the influence of Caravaggio and the Caravaggesque movement, on view at the museum during the same period.
Villa Medici is honouring the photographic work of the artist and filmmaker Agnès Varda
From February 25 to May 25, 2026, the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici pays tribute to the photographic work of artist and filmmaker Agnès Varda with the first major retrospective dedicated to her in Italy. Here, the photographer and the filmmaker in Varda come into dialogue through 130 original prints, film excerpts, publications, documents, posters, set photographs, and objects that belonged to the artist.
The exhibition also brings together works by several other artists: Giancarlo Botti, Michaële Buisson, Alexander Calder, Martine Franck, Dominique Genty, JR, Liliane de Kermadec, Michèle Laurent, Claude Nori, Laurent Sully-Jaulmes, Robert Picard, Valentine Schlegel, Collier Schorr.
Agnès Varda, Autoportrait dans son studio rue Daguerre
The exhibition route
At the heart of the exhibition is the courtyard-studio on rue Daguerre, a place of life, creation, and experimentation for Agnès Varda for nearly seven decades, inseparable from her work. Used as a photo studio, a photographic lab, and the venue of her first exhibition in 1954, it was later shared with her partner, filmmaker Jacques Demy. From this space, the beating heart of her universe, the exhibition then unfolds into the artist’s travel experiences in Italy, from Venice to Rome, through Renaissance villas and gardens and on film sets.
The photographs and film excerpts on display highlight her unconventional gaze, tinged with humor and singularity: from her early work in her Paris atelier to her first steps into cinema, which placed her close to the Nouvelle Vague, from images focused on women’s themes and those living on the margins to her travel reportages.
Agnès Varda had a deep connection with Italy, highlighted here through a selection of previously unseen photographs taken during two stays: in Venice in 1959 and again in 1963. She traveled to the lagoon city while scouting filming locations for La Mélangite (ou Les Amours de Valentin), a film that was never completed. Her photographs capture her discovery of Italy and her taste for the picturesque, playing with shadows and contrasts.
It was during this trip that she created one of her famous self-portraits in front of a painting by Gentile Bellini, humorously playing with the hairstyle that would later become her signature.
In May 1963, the French magazine Réalités commissioned her to photograph Luchino Visconti, newly awarded the Palme d’Or for The Leopard. She then headed to Rome with three cameras: beyond the celebrated director, Varda also crossed paths with Jean-Luc Godard, who was in the same period filming Contempt at the Titanus studios.
The exhibition, the result of extensive research, draws on Agnès Varda’s photographic archive, as well as the archives of Ciné-Tamaris, the production company she founded, now run by her children Rosalie Varda and Mathieu Demy.
A new spin-off edition featuring open studios, a citywide exhibition format, and performances in one of Rome’s most creative districts.
After the success of the last edition in the Historic Center, Romadiffusa is back with a new spin-off edition and heads to San Lorenzo, one of the Roman neighborhoods with the highest concentration of creative spaces. On March 21–22, 2026, for an entire weekend the district will turn into a roaming cultural festival of open studios, pop-up exhibitions, performances, workshops, tours, and meetups with artists, curators, and gallerists, bringing contemporary art into everyday and unexpected places.
At the core of the program is a network of over 50 artists’ studios, artist-run spaces, and galleries, with special openings and dedicated events. Fondazione Pastificio Cerere will host a weekend centered on its current exhibitions, with guided visits, activities for children, and performative moments. Neighborhood galleries will welcome the public with meetups and evening openings, from MATÈRIA to Monitor, Monti8, and Gilda Lavia, while experimental spaces like ORO Project and LEMBI expand the route with installation-based research and new crossovers.
Among the most interesting highlights, Numero Cromatico will open its studios with a special activation featuring lecture performances and a participatory project linked to the festival’s official merch. Contemporary art will step outside its usual venues and weave into the neighborhood’s fabric: works by artists such as Paolo W. Tamburella, Quayola, and Pietro Ruffo will appear in some of San Lorenzo’s iconic everyday spots, while a dispersed exhibition curated by Gianni Politi will bring emerging artists’ works into workshops, bars, bookshops, and historic local addresses.
Visitors can also join guided tours to rediscover San Lorenzo, from street art to contemporary architecture, alongside a program dedicated to independent publishing, photography, and artisan practices, with workshops and special openings. The edition is supported by Soho House Rome, and the full program will be announced in the coming weeks and published on romadiffusa.com.
The exhibition Bernini and the Barberini, curated by Andrea Bacchi and Maurizia Cicconi, opened its doors just a few days ago, coinciding with the 400th anniversary of the consecration of the new St Peter’s Basilica, one of the places where Bernini’s genius had the chance to develop projects and ideas, commissioned by Maffeo Barberini, better known as Pope Urban VIII.
The exhibition focuses precisely on these two key figures of the Roman Baroque and on the patron-artist relationship that grew between them. It was the so-called mirabil congiuntura, mentioned in ancient sources, that gave rise to one of the most fascinating artistic and intellectual partnerships in art history.
It was Pope Barberini who immediately recognised the young artist’s incredible potential, taking him under his protective wing and entrusting him with numerous commissions.
Bernini and the Barberini is arranged in six sections tracing Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s journey from his early years in his father’s workshop to full artistic maturity, while highlighting the decisive role of Maffeo Barberini (later Pope Urban VIII) in shaping a visual language that would become a model for the European Baroque.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, San Sebastiano, 1617, Marmo, Collezione privata
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (attribuito). San Sebastiano, 1617 -1618, Marmo, Jouy en Josas (Yvelines), chiesa di San Martino
1) Claiming Him as His Own: Maffeo “discovers” Bernini The opening section reconstructs the moment Barberini recognises the young prodigy and helps him step out from Pietro Bernini’s shadow. Works by father and son appear alongside key early masterpieces by Gian Lorenzo, already marked by lifelike movement, sensuous surfaces and direct emotional impact, foreshadowing the Baroque.
2) Ne plus ultra: The New Saint Peter’s Dedicated to Bernini’s work in St Peter’s Basilica after its consecration in 1626, this section centres on the Baldacchino, commissioned when he was just over twenty-five. Drawings and models reveal how Bernini fused architecture, sculpture and decoration into a single theatrical statement, conceived in dialogue with the basilica’s surrounding elements.
3) The Pope’s Image: Bernini as Portraitist Here the focus shifts to Bernini’s papal portraiture, from his early busts of Paolo V and Gregorio XV to the extraordinary series of portraits of Urban VIII. Shown together, these busts chart the evolution of a portrait formula that combines psychological intensity with a powerful image of spiritual and temporal authority.
Guido Reni, Putto dormiente, 1627 Affresco strappato, Roma, Galleria Nazionale di Arte Antica, Palazzo Barberini
4) Palazzo Barberini: A Choral Masterpiece This section highlights the exhibition’s setting, Palazzo Barberini, presented as a collaborative Baroque achievement shaped by Bernini, Borromini and Pietro da Cortona. Drawings, models and artworks reveal Bernini’s role beyond sculpture, from architectural ideas to furnishings and decorative design, alongside masterpieces from the Barberini collection, including works by Guido Reni.
5) Apes Urbana: The Faces of Barberini Rome An anthology of portraits from Urban VIII’s Rome brings together cardinals, intellectuals, courtesans and eccentric figures orbiting the court. Bernini’s busts are shown alongside Algardi, Duquesnoy and Finelli, in a lively comparison of styles. Standouts include Finelli’s razor-sharp Bust of Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger and Duquesnoy’s striking portrait of Michel Magnan, capturing the court’s complexity beyond official stereotypes.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Napoli, 1598 – Roma, 1680) Busto di Costanza Piccolomini Bonarelli, 1636 -1637 circa, Marmo, Firenze, Museo Nazionale del Bargello
6) Bernini’s Freedom, Urban VIII’s Power The final section explores the more intimate and tension-filled side of their bond, focusing on artistic freedom, protection and control. It includes rarely displayed works and paintings attributed to Bernini, created outside major public commissions. At its heart is the celebrated, uncommissioned Bust of Costanza Bonarelli (Bargello, Florence), one of the peaks of Baroque portraiture. The section closes with a more private portrait of Urban VIII attributed to Bernini, hinting at a relationship shaped by complicity, power and human emotion.
After undergoing a major renovation, the spaces of the Mattatoio are now open to the public with three exhibitions featuring artists of global appeal and interest: Irving Penn, Silvia Camporesi and Real bodies, imagined bodies, a project uniting three artists from Japan, Iran and France.
The Center of Photography is the first public institution in Rome completely dedicated to the visual arts and it is part of a wider project aiming at making the Mattatoio a brand new City of the Arts.
The opening ceremony on January 29th coincided with the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the twinning between Rome and Paris and it was widely attended by local authorities and journalists eager to witness the transformation of the industrial site of the Mattatoio into an art center. «The Photography Center is the cornerstone of a major cultural and urban regeneration project, aimed at transforming Rome’s former slaughterhouse complex into one of Europe’s largest centers dedicated to contemporary arts and culture,» said Manuela Veronelli, president of the Fondazione Mattatoio.
The highlight exhibition features more than one hundred photographs by Irving Penn, coming from the Parisian Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP).
The American photographer of Jewish and Russian origins is widely recognized as one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth
century and this exhibition rightly celebrates his talent across different macro areas of his work. The photos are organized into six thematic sections: from the early works, travels across continents and communities, to the portraits of great artists and celebrities of his times, nudes, to the last sections with fashion and still life prints.
Each photo witnesses a different way of framing reality and the evolving photographic techniques, from gelatin silver to platinum printing until the arrival of pixel and inkjet print and colour prints. Regardless of the methods used, through his long career, Penn captured historical moments which remains iconic and timeless.
The first floor of the gallery is dedicated to Silvia Camporesi, a philosophy-trained photographer born in 1973 who has dedicated much of her research to the Italian landscape.
The title of the exhibition is inspired by Peter Weir’s film Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), a cult classic soaked in mystery and temporal suspension. Similarly, Camporesi’s works explores the concept of fracture encouraging a reflection on the tensions between reality and artifice, nature and culture, presence and absence, past and present.
Her photos span from La terza Venezia to Journey to Armenia, Atlas Italie, Almanacco Sentimentale, Mirabilia, and Omaggio al Mattatoio.
«Silvia Camporesi’s work perfectly represents that special and magical fusion between artistic expression and autobiographical need that photography manages to render in such a unique way,» commented curator Federica Muzzarelli.
Real bodies, imagined bodies. Identity, belonging, construction of meaning
Curated by Daria Scolamacchia, this contemporary group exhibition brings together artists from Japan, Iran, and France to examine pressing social issues including gender equality and the perception of the female body in the digital age.
Japanese artist Kensuke Koike, already familiar to the Roman public and the Mattatoio from a recent solo exhibition, presents women’s images slightly rearranged and edited such as Ikebana woman and Vertigo, to challenge the viewers’ perceptions. In Alix Marie’s work, Maman, an installation consisting of five large scale images of a mother’s breast, printed on silky fabric and arranged along a circular hollow metal structure, the experience evokes a sense of intimacy and separation.
Women are again the main focus in Nina Boukhrief’s stretched figures in Lycra and in the colorful photos by Forough Alaei. In her works, female Iranian fisherwomen, also called “daughters of the sea”, are portraited in their daily jobs in the open sea to highlight their courage, resilience and will to support their families.
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