Galleria Borghese launches Art Bonus fundraising to acquire Bernini bronze bust

The Galleria Borghese in Rome has launched an international fundraising campaign through Italy's Art Bonus scheme to acquire Gian Lorenzo Bernini's bronze bust of Pope Urban VIII Barberini (1658). The bust, currently owned by descendants of Cardinal Antonio Barberini, is priced at €8 million. Director Anna Coliva emphasized the work's triple significance: it is a masterpiece of bronze sculpture, by Bernini (a symbol of the museum), and depicts Urban VIII, who was both Bernini's greatest patron and a key figure in Cardinal Scipione Borghese's circle. The bust would fill a gap in the collection, which lacks a portrait of Urban VIII despite his role in suggesting themes for Bernini's four major sculptural groups at Villa Borghese. This marks the first time an Italian museum has launched a fundraising campaign of this importance for an artwork acquisition via Art Bonus, allowing companies and individuals to become patrons.