Exhibition of the Vatican Pinakothek in the Tretyakov Gallery. The Tretyakov Gallery will show Russian art in a new way in the Vatican Museums

There are many unprecedented things in this exhibition. This and 42 exhibits from permanent exhibition(at the opening it was said that almost 10% of the Vatican Pinakothek came to the State Tretyakov Gallery), rarely leaving their native and almost literally prayed walls. This is also a political component that patronizes the current artistic tour at the highest state level(The Tretyakov Gallery managed to bring almost all the works ordered from the Vatican to Moscow, which is why a series of religious subjects turns into an almost continuous history of the development of styles in Italian art from the 12th to the 18th centuries). This and special scenographic solution exhibition area — with a huge logo illuminated from the inside and false walls that change the usual geometry of the halls on the third floor of the Engineering Building of the Tretyakov Gallery (designed by Roma Аeterna and Agnia Sterligova). One of them, like the architectural plan of St. Peter's, has an octagonal shape, and the other, like the square in front of the main Vatican basilica, is rounded.

Set of rules

They also have no analogues the strictest rules accreditation and photography at the exhibition. At the press screening, journalists were repeatedly warned (and even forced to sign a special receipt on non-violation of the requirements set by the leadership of the Vatican Museums) that the paintings could not be removed in whole, much less in parts. It is possible only in the interior, against the background of the wall, and even better, so that several canvases fall into the frame at once. TV workers were forbidden to run into the works with TV cameras and take close-ups of paintings. This, however, is quite problematic in itself due to the specific exposition design of the two main halls, which are sheathed to the top with wooden panels. In order to protect the paintings from visitors, the designers made smooth, but high plinths, pushing the exhibits a little further away. outstretched hand. Because of what, they all acquire an additional aura (“the distance of the near”, if we recall the definition Walter Benjamin), finally turning into sacred objects of religious worship.

light and color

As a result, you won’t get too close to the masterpieces – with the possible exception of tiny grisailles. Raphael, displayed in a separate display case, and the Bolognese astronomical cycle Donato Creti. His eight paintings are shown in an additional, well-lit third room. Less fortunate were the paintings of the Baroque era, which took the most Big hall where darkness reigns.

Exposition lighting, which museum workers constantly play with on imported projects, creates additional difficulties in perception. Of course, it is extremely impressive when the light rays directed at the paintings turn them into windows of the mountain world. However, this approach has many drawbacks associated with invincible glare and blind spots spreading inside the frames. (stops working with exhibits of small size, telling some especially narrative stories with a mass of miniature details.) At the current exhibition, in addition to proto-Renaissance and Renaissance paintings Pietro Lorenzetti, Alesso di Andrea, Mariotto di Nardo,Giovanni di Paolo, this applies especially to the horizontally elongated two-meter composition "The Miracles of St. Vincenzo Ferrer" by the Bolognese master Ercole de Roberti, which occupied a separate enclosure.

In the first hall, where the lighting is normal, the oldest - and even ancient - exhibits are located. It is here that two works are shown Perugino, large compositions Giovanni Bellini(pinnacle "Lamentation of Christ with Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and Mary Magdalene") and lunette Carlo Crivelli, as well as even earlier Fra Beato Angelico, Gentile da Fabriano And Margaritone d'Arrezo, whose "St. Francis of Assisi" of the XIII century is not yet the most early work at the exhibition (the epigraph to it is posted a very Byzantine-like "Christ Blessing" of the Roman school of the XII century). However, the most noticeable decoration of the first hall are three fresco fragments Melozzo da Forli with angels playing musical instruments(in the Vatican Pinakothek there are 14 such individual episodes, once a single painting of the Ascension of Christ). It is their graceful emblematic faces that are put on posters, billboards, banners and the cover of the catalog.

Explications at the bottom and personalized tickets

Now that the press screenings have passed and the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery are filled with ordinary visitors, it will be interesting to see how the inscriptions and explications located on the plinths work: will they be visible in a dense spectator stream? And finally, a completely new situation has arisen with the sale of tickets allowing access to the third floor of the Engineering Building in Lavrushinsky Lane. There is simply no online sale of tickets for the Vatican exhibition, this is written on the museum's website. Ordinary, paper, tickets are sold out until December 31 this year. From December 15, the box office of the Tretyakov Gallery will start selling tickets for the 2017 sessions (the exhibition will last until February 19). And these tickets will be nominal, because, during the previous ones, which were accompanied by long queues, museum workers encountered numerous resellers who offered tickets at prices that were several times overpriced.

Moscow. November 25. site - Exhibition of paintings from the Pinakothek Vatican Rome Aeterna, which first came to Russia, opens on Friday at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Lavrushinsky Lane.

"Never before have the Vatican Museums taken out of their borders at the same time such a significant number outstanding works from the permanent exhibition, so the exhibition will become an event not only for Russia and Europe, but for the whole world," she said earlier. CEO"Tretyakov" by Zelfira Tregulova.

Especially for this project, the Vatican Museums will present in Russia the best part his collection - 42 paintings of the XII-XVIII centuries. Among them are works by Giovanni Bellini, Melozzo da Forli, Perugino, Raphael, Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Guercino, Nicolas Poussin. According to Deputy Director of the Vatican Museums Barbara Yatta, the exposition reflects all stages artistic development painting.

Entrance to the exhibition is carried out by sessions, tickets can be purchased at the box office and on the official website of the museum. On this moment all tickets for December are sold out, the press service of the gallery noted, a new batch of tickets will go on sale in mid-December. In addition, as previously reported, from January, in order to combat speculators, tickets to the exhibition will be registered.

The museum noted that visitors will enter the halls, while the time during which they can be at the exhibition is not limited, just as it was at the Aivazovsky exhibition. "So far, there will be no restrictions on the time spent at the exhibition. As practice shows, usually an hour is enough for the audience to watch the exposition. At 10:00 the first session will begin on the "long" days of the gallery's work, on the "short" days the State Tretyakov Gallery is open until 18:00 , the beginning of the last session is at 16:30," the press service explained.

The exhibition opens with the image of "Christ Blessing" of the 12th century, which had never before been exhibited at temporary exhibitions and never left the Vatican. It is an example of the unity of Christianity, since it was created even before the schism, and demonstrates the common roots of Italian and Russian art. Next in chronology is the work of Margaritone d'Arezzo "St. Francis of Assisi" of the 13th century. It is known for being one of the earliest images of the saint. In the same room, works by Gothic masters, very rare in Russian collections, are shown. Pilate" by Pietro Lorenzetti, two predellas telling stories from the life of Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of the World of Lycia.

Frescoes depicting angels by Melozzo da Forli are exhibited separately. The paintings by this artist were removed from the dome of the apse during the rebuilding of the church of Santi Apostoli in Rome.

The High Renaissance, 16th century, is represented in the exhibition by works by Perugino, Raphael, Correggio and Paolo Veronese.

Also, viewers will see "The Entombment" by Caravaggio and the most great work Nicolas Poussin altarpiece "The Martyrdom of St. Erasmus", written specifically for St. Peter's Cathedral. The exposition continues with the works of caravaggists and artists of the Bolognese school Lodovico Carracci, Guido Reni, Guercino.

Rome Aeterna- part of a large project: at the beginning of 2018, a return exhibition will be held in the Vatican, a significant part of its exhibits will be works of Russian painting on gospel stories from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.

The Tretyakov Gallery invites you to visit new exhibition— Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinakothek. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio. It will be held from November 25, 2016 to February 19, 2017 in the Engineering Building (Lavrushinsky pereulok, 12). This largest last years and an unprecedented international project will become an event both for Russia and Europe, and for the whole world. And in 2017, the Tretyakov Gallery will show works of Russian painting on gospel scenes from its collection in the Vatican.

For the first time, the Vatican Museums, which are among the ten largest world collections, brought to Russia the best part of their collection - masterpieces of the 12th-18th centuries. Among the 42 canvases are the works of Giovanni Bellini, Melozzo da Forli, Perugino, Raphael, Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Guercino, Nicolas Poussin.

The title of the exhibition includes latin expression Roma Aeterna - "Eternal Rome". It reflects the perception of this city in the history of mankind - ancient and young at the same time, uniting such different eras like Antiquity, Middle Ages and Renaissance. The Eternal City became the center of empire, religion and art, and the concept of Roma Aeterna became one of the most important ideas of world culture. And the collection itself is as diverse as the culture of Rome.

Each work that visitors will see is exceptional. The exposition opens with a rare work of the Roman school of the 12th century - the image of "Christ Blessing", which had never left the Vatican before. It is close to Byzantine painting and demonstrates the common roots of Italian and Russian art.

The 13th century work of Margaritone d'Arezzo "Saint Francis of Assisi" was included in all textbooks on the history of art and is one of the earliest images of the saint who played important role in the history of the Western Church. His name was chosen for himself by the current pope, the first Francis in the history of the Vatican.

There are also works by Gothic masters rare in Russian collections. Among these is "Jesus before Pilate" by Pietro Lorenzetti, echoing the famous painting by Nikolai Ge.

Two predellas tell stories from the life of Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, revered by the Orthodox and Catholic churches. The heyday of the Renaissance includes one of the most interesting works the largest master of the Ferrara school Ercole de Roberti "Miracles of St. Vincenzo Ferrer" and "Lamentation" by the Venetian Giovanni Bellini. There are no canvases of these artists in Russia either.

On the frescoes of one of major painters Quattrocento Melozzo da Forlì depicts angels, which are reproduced in huge number on souvenirs and steel calling card Rome. His paintings were removed from the dome of the apse during the rebuilding of the Church of the Holy Apostles in Rome and decorate a special hall of the Pinakothek.

The exposition ends with a series of paintings from the 18th century. The paintings of the Bolognese Donato Creti are dedicated to astronomical observations and complete the history of Lo Stato Pontificio - the Papal States, which soon ceased to exist and turned into the Vatican - Lo Stato della Città del Vaticano.

Gentile da Fabriano. "Scenes from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker: St. Nicholas pacifies the storm and saves the ship", ca. 1425

photo © Vatican Museums / Photo © Vatican Museums

Vatican Museums

not only for the first time they present the treasures of their collection in Russia, but also for the first time they take them abroad in such quantity. Forty-two paintings from the collection of the Pinakothek is almost one tenth of the entire collection, numbering about five hundred canvases.

Describing a work of art is a thankless task, doomed to failure in advance, because it is impossible to verbalize that subtle connection that is established between you when you find yourself alone. And it doesn't matter how many people are around, because at that moment it only talks to you.

The language of the masterpieces of the Vatican Pinakothek is music. Consciousness helpfully suggests associations: medieval polyphony, Renaissance madrigal, baroque concerto grosso. In fact, these pictures sound different. Their music is the music of silence: lines, colors, subtle gestures and glances.

You do not need to be an art critic to understand - or rather, feel - the work of a genius. The image, for all its harmony, remains only an imprint, if something more is not invested in it. Each of these paintings has a soul, all these canvases are alive.

"Christ Blessing", the rarest work of the Roman school of the XII century. Painfully familiar features of Byzantine icons, which have become a model for ancient Russian icon painters, are guessed in it. Rome Aeterna. Rome first, second, third... Eternal. "Christ Blessing" opens an exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery, you meet his eyes immediately, as soon as you cross the threshold of the hall. He is here all alone - silent, calm and self-sufficient. And behind him the whole world, enclosed in the space of a small room in which St. Francis of Assisi (Margaritone d'Arezzo, XIII century), pacifying the storm Nicholas the Wonderworker (Gentile da Fabriano, XV century), angels playing lutes (Melozzo da Forli, XV century) ceremoniously pass in front of you ).

Pietro Vannucci, nicknamed Perugino. "Saint Placis", 1495-1498 "Saint Justina", 1495-1498

Here is the predella "The Miracles of St. Vincenzo Ferrer" - the work of Ercole de Roberti, an artist of the Ferrara school, one of the most significant in Renaissance Italy. “The limits were called telling a certain story, the paintings that were located at the bottom of the altar,- explains the curator of the exhibition Arkady Ippolitov. - Although the painting belongs to the brush of the Ferrara artist, numerous allusions to Rome are encrypted in it, which, among other things, are expressed in the processing of poses antique statues V central figures. It is also remarkable in that it reads like a kind of defile of the most extravagant models of the late 15th century - along with the Duchy of Burgundy, Ferrara was a trendsetter of that time..

In the second room - canvases High Renaissance(XVI century) and the Baroque era (XVII century). Their music is different: passionate, assertive, challenging. Despite the religious plots, these paintings sometimes seem to be theomachist - in any case, their creators speak with Him on an equal footing.

Here is the "Vision of Saint Helena" by the Venetian Paolo Veronese. A triumph of colors and magnificent clothes and a rich interior. The heroine of the picture is the mother of Emperor Constantine, who, according to Theophanes' Chronography, was ordered in a dream to go to Jerusalem "to find the life-giving cross of the Lord." Together with her, the viewer finds himself here on the shaky verge of dream and reality, divine and earthly, spiritual and material.

And next to it are two Raphael predellas: "Faith" and "Mercy" of 1507. Quite small, they look like book spreads. On each of them - a woman surrounded by two angels. Instantly recognizable Raphael characters with soft outlines of faces and refined grace of poses. Despite their modest size, these paintings create a special atmosphere around them, a space of some kind of intimate dialogue with everyone who enters it.

In the 17th century, papal Rome reached its highest power and wealth, it was during this era that the picturesque collection of the Vatican was significantly replenished with the works of outstanding contemporaries, therefore artistic history this century is represented in the papal collection most fully. (By the way, the corresponding hall of the Pinakothek was almost bare, as deputy director of the Vatican Museums Barbara Yatta said - most of the paintings of the permanent exhibition moved to Moscow for three months.)

"The Entombment" by Caravaggio, one of his main masterpieces, which influenced the entire subsequent history of painting, from Rubens to Cezanne. He painted this picture around 1603-1604 for the church of Santa Maria in Valicella in Rome, in the status of the most famous and scandalous Italian artist of his time, whose work invariably caused heated debate. Each element of a huge, three by two meters, picture is thought out to the smallest detail, its incredibly strong dramatic effect is largely due to the fact that the body of Christ seems to break through the canvas. He is right in front of you, it is enough to stretch out your hand to feel his flesh with muscles that are still strong, but already devoid of life.

A separate, third, room is reserved for a series of paintings by the Bolognese artist of the XVIII century Donato Creti "Astronomical Observations". In slightly mannered figures, against the background of night landscapes, one can feel both the playfulness of Rococo and the spirit of the new time, the Enlightenment. The power of the Pope is gradually weakening, very soon the history of the Papal States, which occupied most of the Apennine Peninsula, will end. The universe will become the efficient cause and not the end result of divine design. A person who has taken history into his own hands will begin to search for the essence of things on earth with redoubled energy, but everyone will also raise his eyes to the sky, faced with insoluble questions and contradictions.

Raphael. Faith. 1507 Vatican Museums.

At the exhibition curated by Arkady Ipollitov ( State Hermitage), will be presented 42 paintings . Never before have the Vatican Museums, which are among the ten largest collections in the world, taken out of their borders at the same time such a significant number of outstanding works from the permanent exhibition, so the exhibition will become an event not only for Russia and Europe, but for the whole world.

« Rome Aeterna…» - part of a large project: in 2017, the Vatican will host a return exhibition, a significant part of its exhibits will be works of Russian painting on gospel stories from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.

Holding in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the largest collection of Russian art, an exhibition of paintings predominantly Italian and predominantly Roman school is quite natural. The spiritual connection between Moscow and Rome took shape as early as the 16th century, and this joint project is the most important result of the interaction of two cultures: the culture of Rome, as the embodiment of Europeanness, and the culture of Moscow, as the embodiment of Russianness. It is natural that among the great works presented at the exhibition, one can find many analogies and parallels with Russian art.

The purpose of the show is to present both the collection of the Pinacoteca, a section of the Vatican Museums, and the spirit of Rome, the great city. The Pinakothek collection was created as a collection of the state, the head of which is a clergyman, which was reflected in its composition - this is the greatest collection religious painting. Religion is a form of awareness of the world, so that religious art is not reduced to a set of biblical or gospel stories, and the collection of the Vatican Pinacoteca tells us exactly this. It is as diverse as the culture of Rome, which is why the Latin expression Roma Aeterna, "Eternal Rome" is included in the title of the exhibition. This implies the great cultural unity that Rome has become in the history of mankind, a city at the same time ancient and modern, uniting into a single whole such different eras as Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque. Rome is the center of the empire, the center of religion and the center of art: we can say that the concept of Roma Aeterna is one of the most important ideas of world culture. It is this idea that the exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery is dedicated to.

Each work presented at the exhibition is exclusive. It begins with the rarest example of the Roman school of the 12th century, the image of “Christ Blessing”, which has never before been exhibited at temporary exhibitions and has never left the Vatican. This ancient and great work, close to Byzantine painting, is also interesting in that it reveals the common roots of Italian and Russian art. This image, which preserves the memory of the unity of Christianity before the schism, is followed by the work of Margaritone d'Arezzo "Saint Francis of Assisi" (XIII century). It has been included in all textbooks on the history of art and is valuable because it is one of the earliest images of a saint who played an important role in the history of the Western Church. It was his name that the current pope chose, who became the first Francis in the history of the Vatican. There are also works by Gothic masters, which are extremely rare in Russian collections. Among them is "Jesus before Pilate" by Pietro Lorenzetti, which in a way echoes the famous painting by Nikolai Ge.

Two predellas (predella - Bottom part altar), telling stories from the life of Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of the World of Lycia, equally revered by the Orthodox and Catholic churches, stand on the border of Gothic and Renaissance. One of them belongs to the brush of Gentile da Fabriano, who completed the era of international Gothic in Italy, whose works are not only absent from Russian collections, but were not exhibited at all in Russia, the second is by Fra Beato Angelico, the great Florentine of the Early Renaissance.

Two paintings belong to the heyday of the Renaissance: The Miracles of Saint Vincenzo Ferrer by Ercole de Roberti , one of the most interesting works of the greatest master of the Ferrara school,

and "Lamentation of Christ" by the Venetian Giovanni Bellini.

There are no works of both in Russia. The greatest success is that the exhibition will show frescoes depicting angels by Melozzo da Forli provided by the Pinakothek for display to other museums in isolated cases. The murals of this artist, considered one of the greatest painters of the Quattrocento, were removed from the dome of the apse during the rebuilding of the church of Santi Apostoli in Rome and now adorn a special hall of the Pinacoteca. The works of Melozzo da Forli are so rare that they come close in value to the most famous works of Sandro Botticelli and Piero della Francesca. Being reproduced in large numbers on various souvenirs, his angels became the hallmark of Rome.

The High Renaissance, that is, the 16th century, is represented by the masterpieces of Perugino, Raphael, Correggio and Paolo Veronese.

Papal Rome reached its greatest power in the 17th century, during the Baroque era, and papal collections represent the painting of this particular century most fully and brilliantly. The masterpiece of this time at the exhibition - Entombment by Caravaggio.

Altarpiece by Nicolas Poussin "The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus" , the largest work of the artist, was painted specifically for St. Peter's Basilica. This work was one of the most famous paintings Cathedral and was admired by many Russian artists who lived in Rome.

The Baroque era also includes works by caravaggists and artists of the Bolognese school (Lodovico Carracci, Guido Reni, Guercino), well represented in papal collections. The exhibition ends with a series of 18th-century paintings, essentially last century when the papacy played public role. This series of bolognese Donato Creti is dedicated to astronomical observations and logically completes the history of Lo Stato Pontificio, the Papal States, which soon ceased to exist and turned into the Vatican, Lo Stato della Città del Vaticano.

The exhibition catalog includes articles by the curator and employee of the Vatican Museums and an album part, which includes all the exhibited works with detailed annotations.

Holding an exhibition and publishing a catalog for it would not have been possible without large-scale support. Charitable Foundation A.B. Usmanov "Art, science and sport". The relationship between the Gallery and the Foundation is long history: in 2006, jubilee events dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the museum were supported, in 2006-2007 - a successful experience joint work over the exhibition of James Whistler, in 2007 - over the retrospective of Dmitry Zhilinsky. This exhibition is the largest and unprecedented international project of the Tretyakov Gallery in recent years.

Rome Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinakothek. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio
November 25 - February 19, 2017
Lavrushinsky lane, 12

Ticket price to the exhibitions "Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacothek. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio" and "Paintings and drawings of the 18th-20th centuries from the collection of the Primorsky Art Gallery":

500 rub. - adults

150 rub. - for the following preferential categories:

pensioners,
Heroes Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation, Full Cavaliers of the "Order of Glory",
students of secondary and secondary special educational institutions(from 18 years old),
students of higher educational institutions of Russia, including foreign citizens - students of Russian universities (except for student interns)
students of faculties specializing in the field visual arts, secondary specialized and higher educational institutions of Russia, regardless of the form of education (including foreign citizens - students of Russian universities). Does not apply to persons presenting "student-trainee" student cards;
artists, architects, designers - members of the relevant creative unions of Russia and its subjects;
members and staff Russian Academy arts;
art critics - members of the Association of Art Critics of Russia and its subjects;
employees of museums of the system of the Ministry of Culture of Russia and the relevant executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

Free - for the following preferential categories:

For persons under 18;
members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM);
veterans and invalids of the Great Patriotic War, combatants (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
disabled people of I and II groups (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
conscripts;
one accompanying disabled person of group I or a disabled child (citizens of Russia and CIS countries)

The visit to the exhibition "Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio" is organized by sessions. The number of people in the session is limited due to the comfort of visitors and the appropriate climatic conditions for exhibiting valuable masterpieces.

Online tickets for the dates of the exhibition
"Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio"
until December 30, 2016 sold.

Tickets for the remaining days of the exhibition will go on sale.
around December 15th.