Maarten van Heemskerck's 16th-century Rome drawings on show at Istituto Centrale per la Grafica

The Istituto Centrale per la Grafica in Rome is hosting "Maarten van Heemskerck e il fascino di Roma" until June 7, 2026. Curated by Tatjana Bartsch, Rita Bernini, and Giorgio Marini, the exhibition presents a selection of drawings from the artist's Roman sketchbook, known as the 'little book of drawings,' preserved at the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin. Van Heemskerck (1498–1574) traveled to Rome in 1532 and spent four years documenting its antiquities with remarkable precision. His drawings capture fragments of ancient sculptures, ruins, and views of the city, including the Colosseum and the Belvedere Torso. The show follows a 2024 exhibition in Berlin where the sketchbook was disassembled for diagnostic studies. It also features 16th-century engravings of the same subjects that fascinated the Dutch artist. Van Heemskerck, a pupil of Jan van Scorel, met Giorgio Vasari in Rome and may have encountered Michelangelo. The exhibition highlights his role in the 'Romanist' movement and his influence on printmaking after his return to Haarlem.