The National Art Gallery of Bologna (''Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna'') is a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It is located in the former Saint Ignatius Jesuit novitiate of the city's University district, and inside the same building that houses the Academy of Fine Arts. The museum offers a wide collection of Emilian

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

s from the 13th to the 18th century and other fundamental works by artists who were in some way related to the city.

History

Accademia Clementina

According to 18th-century Italian art historian

Luigi Crespi Luigi Crespi (January 23, 1708 – July 2, 1779) was an Italian painter, and art merchant and historian. He was the son of the prominent Bolognese painter, Giuseppe Maria Crespi. Biography He trained with his father and completed a few altarpie ...

, it was cardinal

Prospero Lambertini Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...

, who would later become

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...

, the one who planned a Gallery for altarpieces in the churches of the city. The gallery's first nucleus of works came from the acquisition in 1762 by monsignor Francesco Zambeccari of eight early 15th-century altarpieces, salvaged from the demolition of Saint Mary Magdalene's church. Bought for the Istituto delle Scienze, the art pieces were to be preserved by the Accademia Clementina, the Institute's artistic section. In 1776 a dozen of 13th-century altarpieces and Byzantine icons, which came from Urbano Savorgnan's legacy and formerly located at the Saint Philip Neri's Oratory, were also bought for the Accademia. Another Bolognese conservation pole was the Appartamento del Gonfaloniere at the

Palazzo Pubblico The Palazzo Pubblico (town hall) is a historic palace in Siena, Tuscany, in central Italy. Located on the Piazza del Campo, it is one of the principal architectural landmarks of the city's historic center. Construction began in 1297 to serve ...

. From the late 16th century onwards, the Appartamento had been housing paintings from artists such as

Vitale da Bologna 250px, ''St. George and the Dragon'' Vitale da Bologna (–1360), also known as Vitale di Aymo de' Cavalli or Vitale degli Equi, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. He is a representative of the 14th century school of painting ...

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

('' The Ecstasy of St. Cecilia''),

Cima da Conegliano Giovanni Battista Cima, also called Cima da Conegliano (), was an Italian Renaissance painter, who mostly worked in Venice. He can be considered part of the Venetian school (art), Venetian school, though he was also influenced by Antonello da ...

(''

Madonna and Child In Christian art, a Madonna () is a religious depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a singular form or sometimes accompanied by the Child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word ...

''),

Lorenzo Costa Lorenzo Costa (1460 – 5 March 1535) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born at Ferrara, but moved to Bologna by his early twenties, and was probably influenced by the Bolognese school, Bolognese School. However, many artists worked in ...

, Francesco Francia,

Pietro Perugino Pietro Perugino ( ; ; born Pietro Vannucci or Pietro Vanucci; – 1523), an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael became his most famou ...

('' Madonna in Glory with Saints'') and

Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci ( , , ; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother Agostino Carracci, Agostino and cousin Ludovico Carracci, Ludovico (with whom the Ca ...

('' Madonna and Child with Saints''), alongside works like the '' Pala del Voto'' by

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian Baroque painter, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious works, but al ...

, preserved there for their high civic significance (another painting by Reni in the museum is the ''

Massacre of the Innocents The Massacre (or Slaughter) of the Innocents is a story recounted in the Nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew ( 2:16– 18) in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children who are two years old and u ...

'', 1611.

Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts

By 1796-1797, the Napoleonic occupation of Bologna and its incorporation into the

Cispadane Republic The Cispadane Republic () was a short-lived client republic located in northern Italy, founded in 1796 with the protection of the French army, led by Napoleon Bonaparte. In the following year, it was merged with the Transpadane Republic (formerl ...

led to the suppression of many convents, churches, and all the guilds. Paintings from many of these institutions were appropriated by the authorities. Some were looted and exported to other cities. The Bolognese senate decided to merge the suppressed churches' and convents' paintings and Accademia delle Scienze's holdings into one single collection, gathering almost one thousand works, organized first at the former Convent of St Vitalis, then in 1802 at the former Jesuit novitiate of Saint Ignatius in the Borgo della Paglia, now called via delle Belle Arti 56, made by

Alfonso Torreggiani Alfonso Torreggiani (1682–1764) was an Italian architect of the Rococo period, principally associated with Bologna. Life Torregiani was born in Budrio. An apprentice of Giuseppe Antonio Torri, he became intensely active in the city of B ...

in 1726 to house the newly created gallery of National Academy of Fine Arts.

19th and 20th centuries

With the fall of the Napoleonic empire in 1815, many works seized by the French were returned from the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

to the city. The first enlargement of the collection, carried out by Leandro Marconi dates back to this time. In 1826 Gaetano Giordani made the first catalog. The collection was enlarged again in 1844, when the museum now added the convent's chapel, which had ceiling frescoes depicting the ''Apotheosis of St Ignatius of Loyola''. Between 1867 and 1868, many paintings coming from further suppressions were added. In 1875, the pinacoteca was opened regularly for the public, in 1882 the Gallery became autonomous and, in 1884 Zambeccari Collection was acquired. In the first years of the 20th century another wing was built under the supervision of Edoardo Collamarini. In the late sixties under supervisor Cesare Gnudi and based on Leone Pancaldi's project, the ''Salone del Rinascimento'' was created to host the frescoes brought from the Sant'Apollonia di Mezzaratta church. In 1997 the Gallery was completely renovated to comply the European standards, and it is one of the best known Italian art galleries, internationally known and appreciated for its space dedicated exclusively to temporary exhibitions and for its educational activities.

Gallery

Image:Cecilia Raphael.jpg, '' The Ecstasy of St. Cecilia'', c. 1518 by Raphael. Image:El Greco 10.jpg, ''The Last Supper'', c. 1568 by El Greco. Image:Parmigianino, madonna di santa margherita 01.jpg, ''Madonna di Santa Margherita'', c. 1520-1530 by Parmigianino. Image:Jacopo Tintoretto - The Visitation (detail) - WGA22432.jpg, ''The Visitation'',c. 1549 by Tintoretto Image:Titian - Christ and the Good Thief - WGA22832.jpg, ''Christ and the Good Thief'', c. 1566 by Titian. Image:Giotto. Polyptych. 1330-35. 91x340cm. Pinacoteca, Bologna..jpg, ''Bologna Polyptych'', c. 1330 by Giotto.

Sources

*G.P. Cammarota, ''La formazione della Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna'', Bologna, volume I 1997, volume III 2000, volume II 2004. *A. Emiliani, ''La Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna'', Milano, 1997.

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Museums in Bologna Art museums and galleries in Bologna Tourist attractions in Bologna 1796 in art Art museums and galleries established in the 1790s Museums established in 1796 1796 establishments in Italy National museums of Italy