Genoa: The National Gallery of Liguria reopens with a new exhibition layout and new acquisitions

The National Gallery of Liguria, located in Palazzo Spinola in Genoa, reopens to the public with a completely revamped permanent exhibition enriched by significant acquisitions from the Ministry of Culture. The opening is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, at 7:00 p.m., with special extended hours until 11:00 p.m. and free admission for all visitors.

The renovation project, spearheaded by Alessandra Guerrini, director of the National Museums of Genoa and the Regional Directorate of National Museums of Liguria, now at the end of her term, and by Gianluca Zanelli, director of Palazzo Spinola and the National Gallery of Liguria, returns the top two floors of Palazzo Spinola to the public through an exhibition that spans over six centuries of art history, from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century. The management of the renovation and systems upgrade work was entrusted to Sara Rulli, Head of Palazzo Spinola at the Technical Office of the National Museums of Genoa, while the exhibition design was curated by Officina delle Idee (Turin) under Diego Giachello.

“The message is that museums are open,” says Alessandra Guerrini, "after over a year of work, the National Gallery of Liguria is once again open to the public, completely renovated and featuring important new works. We are happy that museums are growing: to do so, we need a continuous dialogue with everyone, from the curatorial staff to private individuals who, through generous donations and loans, make our artistic heritage ever richer and more diverse.”

The spaces involved in the new exhibition were originally intended as bedrooms, a library, and servants’ quarters. Almost completely destroyed by the bombings of 1941, they were restored and opened to the public in 1993. Today, they feature a renewed look and a curatorial narrative that establishes a dialogue between Ligurian artistic tradition and the international context.

The exhibition is organized into various chronological and thematic sections. The rooms dedicated to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance house paintings and sculptures from religious buildings and private collections, bearing witness to the cultural and commercial ties between Liguria and the Low Countries. Works of great historical and artistic value, recovered from dispersion, tell the story of the vitality of local production prior to the 17th century.

The 17th century is given ample space in a display celebrating the so-called Golden Age of the Republic of Genoa. Through masterpieces by artists such as Antoon Van Dyck, Guido Reni, Orazio Gentileschi, and Giovanni Battista Gaulli, the exhibition captures the cultural atmosphere of a city that, at the height of its economic prosperity, transformed its palaces into extraordinary venues for public display. The works on display highlight the influence of Flemish painting, Caravaggesque naturalism, Emilian classicism, and Roman Baroque, alongside the most significant expressions of the Genoese school.

One section is dedicated to the decorative arts, featuring historic furnishings, ceramics from Savona and Albisola, and a monumental gilded wooden clock from the early 18th century that dominates the exhibition space.

The narrative continues through the 18th and 19th centuries, featuring portraits, Oriental porcelain, and European crafts that bear witness to the evolution of taste and fashion, from the French influences of the Age of the Sun King to the emergence of an international style. Particular emphasis is placed on the creations of ceramist Giacomo Boselli and the refined porcelain pieces intended for aristocratic tables.

The 20th century, on the other hand, opens a window onto modernity, with works that document the transition from Art Nouveau to the figurative experiments of the 1920s and 1930s, culminating in the abstraction of the post-World War II era. This section also features several works from the Valle Collection, which recently entered the public collections thanks to the collector’s bequest and a donation by his heirs. Among the artists represented are Alighiero Boetti, Piero Dorazio, Tancredi Parmeggiani, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Gerhard Richter, and Emilio Vedova.

Among the main highlights of the new exhibition are also significant acquisitions by the Italian government, discussed in detail in the book *Galleria Nazionale della Liguria. New Works. Donato de’ Bardi, Frans Floris, Guido Reni, Giacomo Boselli*, edited by Gianluca Zanelli and Marie Luce Repetto and published by Sagep Editori. Among the masterpieces recently added to the museum’s collections, the following stand out: The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple by Donato de’ Bardi, The Triumph of Virtues over the Evils of War by Frans Floris, Judith by Guido Reni, and The Triumph of Janus by Giacomo Boselli.

The reopening also coincides with the arrival of a significant donation consisting of thirty works of contemporary art created between the 1950s and 1980s from the Eraldo Valle Collection. In this initial phase, the public will be able to admire seven works by Gerhard Richter, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Alighiero Boetti, Emilio Vedova, Piero Dorazio, and Tancredi Parmeggiani, while future exhibitions will be dedicated to the entire donated collection.

“We are extremely grateful for the decision to donate these extraordinary works to the public, the result of an enlightened collecting practice, which enrich the National Gallery’s collection with examples of the finest achievements in contemporary art,” commented Alessandra Guerrini.

Genoa: The National Gallery of Liguria reopens with a new exhibition layout and new acquisitions

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