Michelangelo Poletti's 400-Year Collection of Emilian Painting on View at Palazzo Fava

From April 7 to July 24, 2022, Palazzo Fava in Bologna is showcasing 'La Quadreria del Castello. Pittura emiliana dalla Collezione di Michelangelo Poletti.' Curated by Angelo Mazza and organized by Genus Bononiae. Musei nella Città, the exhibition features 85 artworks dating from the late 15th to the early 19th centuries, many of which are on public display for the first time. Highlights include a Madonna with Child and Saints by the Master of Baldraccani, a small panel by Boccaccio Boccaccino, and works by Camillo Procaccini, Denys Calvaert, Simone Cantarini, and Pelagio Palagi. Additionally, it celebrates female artists with portraits by Lavinia Fontana, canvases by Elisabetta Sirani, and pieces by Lucia Casalini Torelli. A catalog from Bologna University Press includes an interview with Poletti and contributions from various authors. Mazza emphasizes that Poletti's collection challenges the 20th-century tendency to disperse historic Bolognese art collections.