From March 27 to July 20, 2025, Villa Bardini in Florence will host the exhibition Caravaggio and the Twentieth Century. Roberto Longhi, Anna Banti, organized by Fondazione CR Firenze and Fondazione Roberto Longhi. Curated by Cristina Acidini and Claudio Paolini, this exhibition goes beyond a traditional art display, offering an immersive cultural journey into the lives and works of one of the most influential intellectual couples in 20th-century Italy.
The exhibition unfolds across twelve rooms, occupying all the spaces of Villa Bardini. It presents a remarkable collection of artworks, archival documents, and multimedia materials, many of which are being shown to the public for the first time. Among the highlights are Caravaggio’s Boy Bitten by a Lizard, Jusepe de Ribera’s Apostles, and a precious selection of ten works by Giorgio Morandi, personally donated by the Bolognese artist to Roberto Longhi and Anna Banti.
In total, the exhibition brings together 40 paintings, including drawings and watercolors, along with a significant collection of original photographs and documents. These materials illustrate the couple’s relationships with key figures in Italian culture, from writers such as Giuseppe Ungaretti, Giorgio Bassani, Vasco Pratolini, Carlo Emilio Gadda, and Pier Paolo Pasolini, to artists like Filippo de Pisis, Renato Guttuso, and Scipione.
The exhibition highlights Longhi and Banti’s crucial role in the rediscovery of Caravaggio and 17th-century Italian art. Particularly noteworthy is the 1951 Caravaggio exhibition that Longhi curated at Milan’s Palazzo Reale, which attracted over 400,000 visitors and rekindled international interest in the long-overlooked master.
Additionally, the exhibition explores the couple’s commitment to art dissemination through various media, from popular magazines to television and radio. Visitors will have the opportunity to watch two documentaries by Longhi, dedicated to Carpaccio and Carlo Carrà, showcasing his dedication to bringing art to a wider audience.
Caravaggio and the Twentieth Century celebrates the lasting legacy of Roberto Longhi and Anna Banti in Italian culture and art history, offering a unique narrative that enriches the heritage of the Fondazione Roberto Longhi.
More infos on the Villa Bardini website
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