Critique of the Overambitious Baroque Exhibition in Forlì

Stefano Pierguidi delivers a scathing review of the exhibition "Barocco: il gran teatro delle idee" at the Museo Civico San Domenico in Forlì, curated by six curators including Daniele Benati. The show spans the 17th century across Italy, France, and Spain, with around 300 works. Pierguidi argues that Baroque is not synonymous with the 17th century and that the curators failed to make coherent selections, instead assembling works from the Gallerie Nazionali d'Arte Antica di Roma (over sixty pieces) without proper curation. He criticizes the lack of explanatory labels, the inclusion of dubious attributions (e.g., a copy of a copy of Velázquez's Innocent X), and the poor lighting described as "caravaggesque." Positive aspects include the section on applied arts curated by Enrico Colle and some masterpieces by Maratti, Gaulli, and Sassoferrato. The final section on Baroque survivals in the 20th century is deemed sensible, but the omission of the 19th century (the true neo-Baroque period) is criticized. Pierguidi concludes that the exhibition feels sixty years behind current scholarship.