Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna (National Gallery)

History

The collection began in 1762 when Monsignor Francesco Zambeccari donated some 16th century paintings to the Accademia Clementina. Originally, these paintings were part of a collection belonging to the prestigious Accademia dei Desiderosi, created by the Carracci family in 1582.

In 1803, the Accademia Clementina became the Accademia di Belle Arti, making the collection a Quadreria (or collection of paintings) along with the original artistic heritage, later expanded through further donations.

After the Institution was suppressed by Napoleonic troops, the most important works of art were sent to Paris and Milan (Musée Napoleon and what would later become the Accademia di Brera, respectively), where they were kept until the fall of the French Empire. They were then returned to the Quadreria, later known as the Pinacoteca.

That is how the base of the current collection was initially formed. The first catalogue of 274 paintings dates back to 1827.

Through further donations, the Bolognese Pinacoteca - already prestigious for its religious heritage - acquired many works of art from laymen and nobles, thus completing its collection between the 14th and 19th century. To date, the Pinacoteca di Bologna is considered one of the most modern and significant National Galleries in Europe.

It is considered one of the leading modern National Galleries and originally opened in 1885 after being separated from the Accademia.

The Exposition

The Pinacoteca was totally renovated in 1997 and at present it hosts 30 exhibition halls, the Sale delle Belle Arti and very modern rooms on the basement, where medium and large sized temporary exhibitions, didactic activities, seminars and conferences are held.

The exhibition is made up of several sections divided by the various artistic schools. The collection includes works of art dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries (Vitale da Bologna, etc.), to the Renaissance period (Raphael, Perugino, Tintoretto, etc.), Mannerism (Giorgio Vasari, Bartolomeo Cesi, etc.), including some very large 17th century paintings.