Carta Bianca Exhibition Reimagines Museo di Capodimonte's Collection Through Guest Curators

The Museo di Capodimonte in Naples launched the exhibition 'Carta Bianca: Capodimonte Imaginaire' from December 12, 2017 to June 17, 2018. Director Sylvain Bellenger and Andrea Villani, director of Museo MADRE, invited ten prominent intellectuals with Neapolitan connections to curate selections from the permanent collection. Paolo Pejrone assembled garden-themed paintings, while Gianfranco D'Amato gathered works depicting containers, including Jacopo dè Barbara's 'Portrait of Luca Pacioli' from 1500. Laura Bossi Régnier focused on medical themes, and Marc Fumaroli argued for Bernardo Cavallino's significance alongside Jusepe de Ribera. Conductor Ricardo Muti selected only Masaccio's 'Trinity' (1426), accompanied by a large reproduction, as emblematic of the collection's values. The exhibition challenged conventional art historical narratives by presenting alternative thematic interpretations. Visitor numbers surged dramatically, with crowds filling galleries for the first time in over three decades, compared to just 126,000 visitors in 2014. The museum's surrounding park was also renovated under Bellenger's direction, featuring a Foucault quotation about gardens at the entrance. This initiative aimed to revitalize Naples as an art tourism destination by demonstrating how traditional collections can gain contemporary relevance through imaginative curation.