Parma's Pilotta Hosts Major Exhibition on Farnese Dynasty

Over 300 works from Italian and European collections go on display at the Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta in Parma from March 18 to July 31, tracing the rise of the Farnese duchy through art and architecture. Curated by Simone Verde with Bruno Adorni, Carla Campanini, Carlo Mambriani, Maria Cristina Quagliotti, and Pietro Zanlari, the exhibition adopts a Global History approach. Highlights include paintings by Raphael, Titian, Annibale Carracci, El Greco, and Parmigianino from Capodimonte, plus the first Italian showing of the Mass of Saint Gregory from the Musée des Amériques-Auch, created by indigenous Mexicans with pre-Columbian techniques. Eighty precious objects join a Renaissance Wunderkammer alongside the Pilotta's numismatic collection, the Farnese Cup from the MANN in Naples, pieces from the Marciana National Library in Venice, and the Gonzaga Collection of Guastalla. Architectural models, graphics, and videos spotlight the Teatro Farnese, Galleria Nazionale, Museo Archeologico, Biblioteca Palatina, and Voltoni del Guazzatoio. The exhibition is produced with the University of Parma, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Archivio di Stato di Parma, Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, Ordine degli Architetti P.P.C. di Parma, and Fondazione Cariparma, with Electa publishing three volumes. It is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality, and is part of Parma Capitale della Cultura 2020+21.