June 26 – September 19, 2021 | Bowman Gallery, Kerstein Gallery

Carlo Maratti, called Il Maratta and Mario Nuzzi, called Mario de’ Fiori, The Summer, 1658-59, Oil on canvas, Palazzo Chigi, Ariccia.

Exhibition Audio Tour

Introduction

Stop 1: Portrait of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Baciccio

Stop 2: Medallion with Androcles and the Lion, Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Stop 3: Panoramic View of Ariccia, Giovan Battista Falda

Stop 4: Decorative Ceiling Lamp, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Alessandro Nelli

Stop 5: Bacchus, or the Allegory of Taste, Pier Francesco Mola

Stop 6: Orpheus and Eurydice, Giuseppe Cesari

Stop 7: Agar and Ishmael, Guillaume Courtois

Stop 8: The Summer, Carlo Maratta and Mario de Fiori

Stop 9: Lot and his Daughters, Giacinto Brandi

Stop 10: Saint Lucy, Giovanni Battista Salvi

Stop 11: Plague Scene, Mattia Preti

Stop 12: The Suicide of Cleopatra, Domenico Fetti

Stop 13: Portrait of Cardinal Flavio Chigi, Ferdinand Voet

Stop 14: Sanguis Christi, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Guillaume Courtois

Stop 15: The Flagellation, Pietro Da Cortona

Stop 16: The Jesuit Missionary Roberto de’Nobili in Madras, Jacques Stella

Stop 17: Saint Ivo Distributes Charity, Ciro Ferri

About the Exhibition

This exciting exhibition of Baroque art marks the museum’s first large-scale exhibition of Old Master paintings and artworks since 1965. The more than 50 works by 40 artists include dramatic canvasses depicting scenes from mythology, the Bible, and history. The exhibition examines the influence of Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), through works by Bernini and other Baroque artists in the collection of the illustrious Chigi family’s historic palazzo, located in the hills about 16 miles south of Rome. Perhaps the greatest of Baroque artists, throughout his long life, Bernini’s work as a sculptor, architect (he designed the Palazzo Chigi), artist, set designer, playwright, and actor had resounding influence.

A style which evolved in response to the Protestant Reformation, Baroque artists in Rome used all their artistic skill to hold believers in thrall of the Catholic Church, but the bold and emotionally expressive style rapidly influenced all forms of visual expression and was not simply in service to religion. The dominant artistic movement in Europe during the 1600s, the goal of Baroque art was elevating the viewer in mind and soul, and it achieved that through drama, theatricality, and emotional appeal.

This landmark exhibition brings to Hagerstown an extraordinary variety of artworks and decorative objects which mirror the cosmopolitan and sophisticated taste of Roman patrons during the 1600s, when Rome was a destination and crossroads for adventurous artists from every region of Italy and Europe.

Bernini and the Roman Baroque: Masterpieces from Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia is organized by Glocal Project Consulting and is toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC. The exhibition is curated by Francesco Petrucci, director of Palazzo Chigi, and Dominique Lora, art historian and independent curator. A fully illustrated catalogue is available.

Visit our Bernini and the Roman Baroque Sponsorship Page to see sponsors for works of art in the exhibition.