From 4 December 2021 to 20 February 2022, the exhibition Antonio Canova and Bologna. At the Origins of the Pinacoteca, curated by Alessio Costarelli.
The exhibition aims to explore the theme of the relationship between Antonio Canova (1757-1822) and the city of Bologna, its institutions and its artists, also highlighting the role of the sculptor in the history of the Pinacoteca's collection. In fact, the master of Italian Neoclassicism contributed to diplomatic operations of extraordinary importance for the city's artistic heritage, largely recovering it from France, where it had been accumulated after the Napoleonic spoliations.
Paintings, sculptures, manuscripts and documents from various museum institutions, libraries and archives flank the works in the museum, whose permanent exhibition is an integral part of the project. Of particular importance is the contribution of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Bologna and that of the Musei Civici in Bassano del Grappa. Also fundamental are the loans generously granted by Bolognese institutions such as the Collezioni Comunali d'Arte, the Biblioteca dell'Archiginnasio, the University of Bologna and the Fondazione Carisbo, as well as the Pinacoteca Civica di Cento.
The exhibition, which is also an opportunity to recall the origins of Bologna's largest public art collection, is part of a pilot project within a programme of initiatives with which the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna intends to renew its presence in the city's cultural fabric, making explicit the link between the museum's heritage and the history of the territory and thus strengthening the link between past and present.
The exhibition is promoted in synergy with the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna and has benefited from the collaboration of the Società di Santa Cecilia. Friends of the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, the Department of Architecture of the University of Bologna and the Electa publishing house.
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