Guercino Masterpieces Reunited After 400 Years in Turin Exhibition

The exhibition "Guercino. Il mestiere del pittore" at the Musei Reali di Torino (March 23–July 28, 2024) reunites for the first time in four centuries a cycle of four paintings by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Guercino (Cento 1591 – Bologna 1666). Commissioned between 1617 and 1618 by Alessandro Ludovisi (future Pope Gregory XV) and his nephew Ludovico, the works include "Lot and His Daughters" from San Lorenzo de El Escorial, "Susanna and the Elders" from the Museo del Prado, "The Raising of Tabitha" from the Gallerie degli Uffizi–Palazzo Pitti, and "The Return of the Prodigal Son" from the Musei Reali. The cycle marks a turning point in Guercino's career: after Gregory XV's election, the artist moved to Rome for several years, receiving major commissions. The exhibition features over 100 works by Guercino and contemporary artists from more than 30 museums and collections, including the Prado and the Monastery of El Escorial, and explores the organization of his workshop, market dynamics, and patronage in 17th-century art.