Bernini's Monumental Exhibition at Galleria Borghese Marks 20th Anniversary

Galleria Borghese in Rome hosts a major exhibition dedicated to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, curated by Andrea Bacchi and Anna Coliva, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the museum's 1998 reopening after 16 years of restoration. The show is divided into eight sections tracing Bernini's career from his apprenticeship with his father Pietro to his final works around 1678. It features iconic Borghese sculptures like the 'Rape of Proserpina' (1621-1622) and includes loans such as the 'Sleeping Hermaphrodite' (1620) from the Louvre, highlighting Bernini's role as a restorer. The exhibition presents early works like the 'Goat Amalthea' (before 1615), attributed solely to Bernini by Roberto Longhi in 1926, and the intense 'Damned Soul' (1619) from the Spanish Embassy. It also explores the collaboration between Gian Lorenzo and his father Pietro, notably the 'Seasons Aldobrandini' cycle (ca. 1620) from a private collection. The 'Saint Bibiana' (1624-1626), recently restored with Fendi, is displayed. The show concludes with bronze crucifixes from Toronto and Madrid and two busts of the Salvator Mundi, including one from San Sebastiano fuori le Mura (ca. 1678), left unfinished due to Bernini's illness.