An exhibition dedicated to the Italian collector opened in the Hermitage

ST. PETERSBURG. On Friday, July 12, the opening ceremony of the exhibition was held in the Armorial Hall of the Hermitage, for the first time not dedicated to the artist’s work, but to the renowned art historian and collector Denis Maon. Journalists and art historians were able to familiarize themselves with the exposition of the exhibition “From Gverchino to Caravaggio” and hear a short story by the Director of the Hermitage Mikhail Priotorovsky about the personality of the famous collector.

From July 13 to September 1, the exhibition is available to everyone who wants to get acquainted with the work of Italian artists of the 17-18 centuries. The curators of the exhibition, selecting the works presented in its exposition, reflected the plan of Denis Maon, who dreamed of collecting paintings from his collection and the work of the most favorite Italian painters in one exhibition hall.

Visitors to the exhibition will see not only paintings by Caravaggio, Gverchino and their contemporaries, which were part of the collection of Denis Maon, and then adorned the museums of Italy, but also canvases stored in the Hermitage. Gverchino’s work, which conquered the collector, prompted Mahon to study the rich history of Italian painting, and the result of this activity was the discovery of paintings by Caravaggio.

The exhibition includes seven works by Caravaggio. This is a small number of paintings, however, since they were painted at different times, you can get a complete impression of his work on them. One of the famous works, “Lutnist”, is provided from the Hermitage collection. One of Gverchino’s early works, Madonna and the Sparrow, which entered the exhibition, shows how early the talent of the artist was formed. Even before thirty years, the painter created many of the famous paintings.

An illustrated catalog has been published for the opening of the exhibition.

Ludmila Trautmane © Gallerix.ru