The Soprintendenza Speciale per il Patrimonio Storico and Polo di Roma Museale inaugurate a new exhibition space in the Palazzo Barberini with a large exhibition devoted to Francesco Barbieri, il Guercino (1591-1666), in homage to the art historian Sir Denis Mahon (1910-2011). Curated by Rossella Vodret and Fausto Gozzi, the array consists of a set of 36 works from museums and private collections in Rome and Cento, which give an appropiate account of the artist's evolution.

Guercino's talent was soon recognized by Ludovico Carracci, and is considered as the renewal of Bolognese art. Between 1621 to 1623, the painter was called to Rome by Pope Gregory XV, who became the chief patron of the painter along with his nephew, Cardinal Ludovico. The decoration of the Casino Ludovisi is probably the first great work of Guercino in Rome. A composition that would be surpassed by the prestige that achieved by the enormous altarpiece for the Vatican dedicated to St. Petronilla (Pinacoteca Capitolina). But the sudden death of the Pope in 1623, and the fierce artistic competition in Rome at that time, forced Guercino to return to his native Cento. 

A move that implicitly carried a stylistic shift that encapsulated the profound legacy of classicism apprehended during his stay in Rome. A perceptible monumentality in both Luke and Matthew (National Gallery of Ancient Art) and the Return of the Prodigal Son (Galleria Borghese), completed around 1627-1628. Or in the Portrait of Cardinal Bernardino Spada (Rome, Galleria Spada) painted in 1631, which opens the way to maturity with a renewed focus on classical forms manifested in his coloring. Guercino (1591-1666). Capolavore di Cento e Roma can be seen until April 29 at the Palazzo Barberini in Rome. Alejandro Martinez

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