Accademia Carrara Reveals Bergamo's Ties to 17th-Century Neapolitan Painting

The Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, under new director Martina Bagnoli, opens its first major exhibition of 2024, 'Naples in Bergamo: A Look at the 17th Century in the De Vito Collection and in the City.' Curated by Elena Fumagalli and Nadia Bastogi, the show explores the historically overlooked connection between Bergamo and Neapolitan Baroque painting. It features 40 works: 22 from the Fondazione Giuseppe e Margaret De Vito in Vaglia, including pieces by Battistello Caracciolo, Jusepe de Ribera, Massimo Stanzione, Bernardo Cavallino, and Mattia Preti, and 20 sourced from local churches and deposits in Bergamo and the surrounding Orobic region. The exhibition highlights recent restorations and new attributions, such as a youthful work by Luca Giordano from the Carrara's own collection, 'The Crowning with Thorns,' previously considered a copy. Giordano is a focal point, with four large canvases from the church of Sant'Evasio in Pedrengo and a projection of his 'Passage of the Red Sea' from Santa Maria Maggiore. His pupil Nicola Malinconico is also featured, with newly attributed works from Stezzano and Nese. The exhibition aims to reveal a little-explored chapter of Bergamo's history and includes a public program of lectures and an exchange with Naples.