Julius II and Raphael. A new Renaissance season in Bologna

Bologna now emerges as the Renaissance city, and rightly so. A major exhibition project and a special itinerary shall turn the spotlight on the significance that the arrival in the city of artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo and Bramante meant for Bologna and beyond. Such an entry coincided with the seizure of power by the State of the Church, in the person of Pope Julius II della Rovere. It is precisely  the exceptional presence of Julius II's Portrait, one of Raphael's greatest masterpieces, borrowed from the National Gallery,  that launched this fascinating and original exhibition. 

Curated by Maria Luisa Pacelli, Davide Benati and Elena Rossoni, the exhibit will be hosted from 8 October to 5 February by the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna following an accurate redesign of the entire Renaissance wing through a new tour itinerary that takes an in-depth look at Bolognese art from the age of the Bentivoglio family to the coronation of Charles V.

The exhibition is set out along the Renaissance wing of the Pinacoteca, following an itinerary that enhances the dialogue between the museum's masterpieces and the important loans received. These include Amico Aspertini's 'Cristo benedicente tra la Madonna e San Giuseppe' (Blessing Christ between the Madonna and St Joseph), brought here on loan from the Longhi Foundation in Florence, or the 'Madonna di San Zaccaria'  from the Uffizi, a work that testifies to the refined and restless art of Parmigianino, another prominent figure who operated in Bologna between 1527 and 1530. Finally, room is also reserved in the exhibition itinerary for those masterpieces that for various reasons are no longer in existence, such as Michelangelo's monument to Julius II, the Garganelli Chapel with its frescoes, Bentivoglios' Palace and Bramante's architectural interventions.