Every museum in Italy is closed now that the entire country is in a lockdown in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. That includes the once-in-a-lifetime exhibition in Rome on Raphael, which marks the 500th anniversary since the Renaissance master’s death.
The remarkable exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale celebrates the brief life of Raphael with more than 200 works by the artist. It’s the largest show ever dedicated to the artist, including some 120 paintings and drawings by Raphael himself as well as other materials relating to Raphael.
The show has been co-organized with the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, which has loaned some 50 works to the show, a controversial decision that prompted the museum’s scientific committee to resign en masse due to the fragility of one of the masterpieces, a portrait of Pope Leo X.
Loans from the Borghese Gallery, the Louvre, the Vatican Museums, London’s National Gallery, and the Prado, among others, are also included in the exhibition, which was curated by Marzia Faietti and Matteo Lafranconi.
The exhibition, titled “Raphael 1520-1483,” officially opened on March 5 and was slated to run until June 2 before it was shuttered, along with Italy’s other museums, on March 8. It will remain closed until further notice.
More than 60,000 tickets were pre-sold for the exhibition, and with the future of Italy’s lockdown uncertain, many fear they may forever miss their chance to see the show it in person.
That’s why we’ve brought it to you here, in pictures.
Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com