The discreet charm of drawing

The Alessandro Zacchi donation to the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna

The exhibition Il fascino discreto del disegno (The discreet charm of drawing) in Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna opens to the public from 20 September 2025 to 11 January 2026. The Alessandro Zacchi donation to the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, in the spaces of the Sala Clementina dedicated to the exhibition of graphic works. 

The exhibition stems from the recent and precious donation of 179 drawings and 21 prints by the scholar and collector Alessandro Zacchi, a leading figure in the field of Bolognese art history and graphics.

The result of decades of research and targeted selections, the collection represents an exceptional contribution to the public patrimony and to the completion of the Pinacoteca's collections, offering a highly significant testimony of the richness of Italian graphic art between the Renaissance and the 20th century. 

Curated by Marzia Faietti, Elena Rossoni and Mirella Cavalli, the selection on display in the Clementina Room features around 60 of the drawings from the Zacchi donation, most of which are the work of great masters of the modern age including Bartolomeo Passerotti, Ludovico Carracci, Domenichino and Guercino alongside 19th and 20th century artists such as Tommaso Minardi, Alessandro Guardassoni and Alessandro Cervellati.