Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli visited Sotheby’s headquarters in New York yesterday, where he was able to admire for the first time Antonello da Messina’sEcce Homo, recently purchased by the General Directorate of Museums for the sum of $14.9 million, about 12.6 million euros. The work is a small panel painted on both sides: on one depicts a half-length Christ, placed behind a parapet and facing the viewer frontally, while on the other appears a penitent Saint Jerome immersed in a stark, rocky landscape.
The work, probably intended for private devotion, constitutes a particularly significant example within the artist’s production; indeed, the slight abrasions present on the pictorial surface seem to derive from theancient practice of kissing the image and should be interpreted considering the nature of the object, its small size and original function.
“It is a historic moment. The return of this painting to Italy is an unprecedented cultural operation. It is a great satisfaction for the Ministry of Culture and for all Italians who can return to enjoy such beauty, and they can also do so because the government and the MiC have made a strong commitment to strengthen the cultural heritage available to citizens. The painting is exceptional, it has a very high devotional and at the same time artistic value, it is an extraordinary acquisition,” said Minister Giuli. “Citizens’ money should always be well spent, that is, committed to the common heritage of all Italian citizens. These are investments that go to enrich our enormous cultural wealth. This framework can only be worth more and more in a heritage such as Italy’s that already expresses immeasurable value.”
Ecce Homo will soon return to Italy: in fact, it will be exhibited as a world premiere at the Sala Capitolare of the Palazzo della Minerva in Rome, at the initiative of the Senate of the Republic in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, from March 27 to April 7, 2026. The opening is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 at 3 p.m. and will be attended by Senate President Ignazio La Russa together with Minister Alessandro Giuli himself.
The exhibition will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with special openings on the weekends of March 28 and 29 and April 4, 5 and 6, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission will be free and will not require reservations, offering the public a unique opportunity to admire up close a masterpiece of extraordinary expressive intensity.
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| Minister Giuli flies to New York for Ecce Homo. The work will be on display in the Senate for Easter |
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