Accademia Carrara's 'Tutta in voi la luce mia' Explores 19th-Century Italian Painting and Opera

Accademia Carrara in Bergamo presents 'Tutta in voi la luce mia. Pittura di Storia e Melodramma', running from October 1, 2023 to January 14, 2024. The exhibition examines the interplay between history painting and melodrama in 19th-century Italy, featuring 42 works (36 large-scale paintings) by artists including Francesco Hayez, Francesco Coghetti, Domenico Morelli, and Giovanni Boldini. Curated by Fernando Mazzocca, outgoing director Maria Cristina Rodeschini, and Elena Lissoni, the show focuses on the period 1815-1848. Set design by opera scenographer Federica Parolini transforms the museum into a theatrical space with musical rooms, period perfumes, and red drapes. The exhibition highlights composers Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, and Giuseppe Verdi, whose works inspired painters. Bergamo, Donizetti's birthplace, provides a fitting context. The title references Donizetti's 'Anna Bolena'. Loans come from national and international collections, including a Hayez painting from BPER. Parallel events involve Teatro Donizetti and Biblioteca Angelo Mai. The show is the third and final major exhibition in Bergamo and Brescia's year as Italian Capital of Culture 2023.