Naples in Paris

Parmigianino, Portrait of a young woman, also called Antea, 1524 –1527. Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte © Luciano Romano

The Musée du Louvre and the Museo de Capodimonte decided to join forces to mount a special exhibition showcasing masterpieces from the two museums. This exceptional six-month event will provide a unique insight into Italian painting from the 15th to the 17th century and offer a fresh perspective on the two collections.

The display will feature thirty-three paintings from the Museo di Capodimonte, considered some of the greatest Italian masterpieces. They will resonate with the Louvre’s collection of paintings by artists including Titian, Caravaggio, Annibale Carracci and Guido Reni, and shed light on Italian schools that have little or no representation in the Louvre – particularly the remarkable Neapolitan school, characterised by the dramatic and expressive style of artists such as Jusepe de Ribera, Francesco Guarino and Mattia Preti.

Exhibition highlights will include a poignant painting of the Crucifixion by Masaccio (a major artist of the Florentine Renaissance who is not represented in the Louvre’s collections), a large history painting called Transfiguration of Christ by Giovanni Bellini, without equivalent in the Louvre, and three of the finest paintings by Parmigianino, including his famously enigmatic Antea. The display of these works alongside the Louvre’s paintings by Correggio will undoubtedly be one of the high points of the exhibition.

The exhibition is running until 8th January 2024, here is a link to purchase tickets.