70 Capodimonte masterpieces to Louvre in historic exchange

The Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples and the Musée du Louvre in Paris have announced an unprecedented art exchange beginning June 2023. Seventy masterpieces from the Neapolitan museum, including works by Parmigianino, Masaccio, Giovanni Bellini, Tiziano, and Caravaggio, will travel to Paris for six months. This marks the first time the Louvre dedicates an entire exhibition to another museum. The exchange was discussed by Giovanni Lombardi, president of Capodimonte's Advisory Board, who will lead a press conference on November 10. The initiative includes a gala dinner at the Élysée Palace and one under the Louvre pyramid, with high patronage from the French and Italian republics. Lombardi highlighted Capodimonte's transformation into a multidisciplinary campus, including a new degree for historical gardeners, a donation of 74 works from Lia Rumma, and the purchase of a portrait of King Charles of Bourbon from Madrid. The exchange aims to strengthen cultural ties between Naples and Paris, with restoration and framing of the loaned works funded by corporate patronage. The project also involves the Art Bonus tax incentive for donors.