Bernini and the Barberinis

The exhibition shows how the rise of the Baroque was more than just the generic evolution of a style. It was the concrete result of the special relationship between an artist and patron, orienting choices of form, iconography and politics. In the ongoing debate on the origins of the Baroque – with some who position the beginning around 1600 with Carracci and Caravaggio and others who position it in the 1630s – Bernini and the Barberinis offers an interpretation centered on Urban VIII’s historical responsibility as the man behind this turning point.

The initiative is perfectly in line with the recent exhibition at Palazzo Barberini Caravaggio 2025, focusing on another protagonist of the Gallerie Nazionali’s collections and exploring Maffeo’s crucial role in the figurative culture of 17th-century Rome.

Thanks to the contribution of leading Italian and international scholars as well as works on loan from museums and private collections – many on display for the very first time in Italy – the exhibition aims to highlight the complexity of this key historical-artistic juncture.

The exhibition Bernini and the Barberinis has been arranged in six sections and follows the creative trajectory of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, from his beginnings in his father’s workshop to his artistic maturity, shedding light on the crucial role played by Maffeo Barberini in defining this new artistic language, destined to become a paradigm for the European Baroque.

The first section Claiming Him as His Own: Maffeo ‘discovers’ Bernini reconstructs the foundational moment in the relationship between Maffeo and the young artist, when the future Urban VIII sensed the revolutionary potential of this child prodigy and helped emancipate him from his father’s workshop.

Alongside pieces by Pietro Bernini, such as Adam, Eve and the Serpent (Musée de Tessé, Le Mans), this section features works the young Bernini did in collaboration with his father, including the pieces on exceptional loan Four Seasons (Aldobrandini collection) and Cherub with Dragon (J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles), displaying them alongside masterpieces by Gian Lorenzo alone, such as his Saint Lawrence (Gallerie degli Uffizi, Florence) and the monumental Saint Sebastian (Church of Saint Martin, Jouy-en-Josas, Yvelines) today housed in France and exceptionally displayed in dialogue with Saint Sebastian Barberini (private collection). This last piece, paid for by Maffeo Barberini in 1617, marks a crucial watershed: his natural pose, the sensual rendering of the marble and the way viewers are directly engaged with the piece foreshadow a new conception of sculpture, based on emotional immediacy and the vitality of form. In these works one can see, surprisingly early, the language of the baroque in sculpture, even before it was expressed in architecture and painting.

The second section, Ne plus ultra: The New Saint Peter’s, is dedicated to Bernini’s work on Saint Peter’s Basilica, a symbolic site where the alliance between Urban VIII and Bernini is evident. After the new basilica was built in 1626, Urban VIII and his favorite artist set about reinventing the interior.

The section centers on Saint Peter’s Baldacchino, commissioned to Bernini, who was just over twenty-five years old at the time. It is a highly original piece blending architecture, sculpture and decoration in a unique treat for the eyes. Drawings, models and carvings document the genesis of the piece, along with studies for the Saint Longinus, sculpted directly by Bernini for one of the columns of the canopy.

This section also illustrates the visual and symbolic dialogue between the Baldacchino, the Loggias of the Relics and the future Throne of Saint Peter, showing how Bernini transformed this sacred space into a unified narrative, a "beautiful whole" that engaged the faithful emotionally while celebrating the universal nature of the Church and the power of the Barberini papacy.

The third section follows Bernini’s work as the papal portrait artist, starting from his first busts of Paolo V Borghese – including a marble bust from the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles – and Gregorio XV Ludovisi, alongside bronze portraits of both popes that show how young Bernini assimilated models from ancient portraiture.

Next to these is also the extraordinary series of portraits of Urban VIII, an extraordinary nucleus of marble and bronze busts from international museums and collections shown together for the very first time. The comparison between the various types – from busts of the pope with his head uncovered wearing a cape to ones of him in a mozzetta and camauro – allow viewers to follow the evolution of a portraiture formula that was to become the standard. Here the face of Urban VIII is transformed into an image of absolute spiritual and temporal power, rendered with extraordinarily intense psychological depth.

The fourth section Palazzo Barberini: A Choral Masterpiece highlights Palazzo Barberini, symbolic of the Rome of the Barberinis and the place where the exhibition is being held.

Drawings, models and works illustrate the genesis of a building that was one of the first and most successful examples of a "choral" baroque architecture.

Bernini, Borromini and Pietro da Cortona work together – and compete – to create a space that is at once an urban palazzo and a suburban villa. This section documents Bernini’s role not only as a sculptor but as the man behind the ideas for architectural elements, furnishings and decoration. Masterpieces from the Barberinis’ ancient collection complete this section, including paintings by Guido Reni, the family’s most beloved painter who was deeply respected by Bernini.

Apes Urbana: The Faces of the Barberinis’ Rome showcases an anthology of busts from Urban VIII’s Rome featuring cardinals, intellectuals, courtesans and other eccentric figures orbiting around the pope. Alongside Bernini’s portraits are masterpieces by Alessandro Algardi, François Duquesnoy and Giuliano Finelli, in a close comparison of varying styles. One piece that stands out is the masterful Bust of Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger by Finelli, featuring a hyper-analytical and competitive portrait style. Extraordinarily suggestive is the Bust of Michel Magnan, the dwarf of the duke of Crequy by Duquesnoy, a unique piece reflecting the human and social complexity of the Barberini court, far outside the stereotypes of official portraiture.

The last section Bernini’s Freedom, Urbano VIII’s Power explores the more intimate and problematic side of the relationship between Bernini and Urban VIII relating to the creative freedom of the artist. This section showcases rarely displayed busts – like the one by Thomas Baker (Victoria and Albert Museum, London) – and paintings attributed to Bernini that provide evidence of activities he engaged in for pleasure or experimentation, far outside the confines of his large public commissions. The heart of this section is the famous bust of Costanza Bonarelli (Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence), a unique sculptural portrait done by the artist without being commissioned. This piece conveys an intense personal relationship, making it one of the pinnacles of baroque portraiture.

The final piece in this section is a portrait painted of Urban VIII attributed to Bernini that is more intimate than official, proof of a relationship based on protection, control, complicity and tension: the intermingling of humanity and politics that gave rise to the Baroque.

The exhibition includes a catalog published by Allemandi with essays by the curators and authoritative Italian and international scholars such as Tomaso Montanari, Karen Lloyd, Joseph Connors and Evonne Levy and sections analyzing all of the works, offering a fascinating, up-to-date interpretation of a key phase in the birth of the Baroque.

The exhibition Bernini and the Barberinis is a project of the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica, carried out with the support of the Directorate-General of Museums – Ministry of Culture, the backing of its Main Partner Intesa Sanpaolo, the patronage of the Fabbrica di San Pietro in Vaticano, in collaboration with Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, the technical support of Coopculture in terms of services for the public, Allemandi for the catalog and Atac as its mobility partner. Its media partner is Urban Vision. Dimensione Suono Soft is its radio partner.

We would like to thank the individual lenders and public and private museums that have made this exhibition possible, including: Accademia Carrara (Bergamo), Albertina Museum (Vienna), the Uffizi Galleries (Florence), J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), Musée du Louvre (Paris), Musée Jacquemart-André (Paris), Museo Diocesano (Spoleto), Museo Nazionale del Bargello (Florence), Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid), Musée de Tessé (Le Mans), the Vatican Museums (Vatican City), the National Gallery (London), the National Gallery (Washington), Statens Museum for Kunst (Copenhagen), The Morgan Library (New York) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London).

The exhibition Bernini and the Barberini traces an insightful and original path that continues the story told in a series of exhibitions dedicated to the illustrious Barberini dynasty and its roots and history in Tuscany and Rome. The patronage of this powerful family has left us with an enduring cultural legacy: the "invention" of the Baroque and the promotion of its magnificent artistic era.

Following on from The Sovereign Image and Caravaggio 2025, the initiative presented in these pages continues its exploration of seventeenth-century Rome and its figurative culture, to which the Barberini family made a decisive contribution through the commissioning and construction of imposing palaces, churches, fountains, and works of art that still mark the city’s identity today. The mastermind behind these works was Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, known by history as Pope Urban VIII, the "poet pope", patron of the arts and discoverer of extraordinary talents, including the universal genius of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Sculptor, architect, painter, urban planner, set designer, and costume designer, Bernini put his talent at the service of the popes and of an incredibly ambitious project: to make Rome the artistic capital of civilization, indeed of universal civilization, and specifically of Christian civilization.

Urban VIII had the intuition to govern through culture, drawing on the skills of the most talented artists: from Francesco Borromini to Pietro da Cortona, from Guido Reni to Andrea Camassei. There is no doubt, however, that Gian Lorenzo Bernini was his favourite, a "lost son" to whom he entrusted the great building projects of St. Peter’s Basilica, along with the image and memory of his pontificate.

The exhibition at Palazzo Barberini gives due prominence to a decisive partnership in the history of Roman, Italian, and world art, offering an exhibition that, for the first time, has brought portraits, sculptures, and previously unseen masterpieces from numerous public and private collections back to the symbolic home of the Baroque.

The project was made possible thanks to generous loans from some of the world’s most important museums, not to mention the contribution of Intesa Sanpaolo and the patronage of the Fabbrica di San Pietro in the Vatican.

The accompanying catalogue, containing technical details of all the works on display and enhanced with essays that combine scientific rigour and narrative flair, represents the natural culmination of a cultural project of global significance, revealing, through a rich series of unforgettable works, a moment in history that has marked the identity of Italy and the world.

Alessandro Giuli, Ministry of Culture

The major exhibition Bernini and the Barberini is the second instalment of an ambitious three-year project dedicated to the leading artists within the collections of the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica and seventeenth-century art, following the success of Caravaggio 2025, which welcomed over 400,000 visitors to Palazzo Barberini. The exhibition aims to explore one of the most prolific and important relationships in seventeenth-century European artistic culture: that between Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) and Maffeo Barberini, who became Pope Urban VIII in 1623. The meeting of Bernini’s creative genius and Maffeo Barberini’s political, cultural, and spiritual vision resulted in an artistic period of extraordinary intensity, destined to shape the face of Rome for many centuries to come.

"You are very fortunate, Sir, to see Cardinal Maffeo Barberino as pope, but we are even more fortunate that Cavalier Bernini lives during our pontificate." According to Domenico Bernini, son and biographer of the great artist, these were the words with which the newly appointed Pope Urban VIII celebrated Gian Lorenzo’s genius. A young and extremely talented sculptor, Bernini enjoyed a unique friendship with Maffeo Barberini long before the conclave that elected him to the throne of St. Peter. It was an intellectual partnership that, under the pressing guidance of the head of the Church, led the sculptor to become an architect, painter, universal artist, and director of that figurative language that has been recorded in the annals of history as the Baroque, of which Bernini was the creator and principal interpreter, embodying for the seventeenth century what Michelangelo had represented for the sixteenth.

The bond between artist and patron was not simply a client-contractor relationship, but rather an ongoing dialogue based on deep intellectual harmony and a shared conception of art as a tool for persuasion, celebration, and affirmation of power. Under the pontificate of Urban VIII, Bernini became the preferred interpreter of the Barberini family’s ideological programme, translating their ambitions into an innovative visual language capable of combining pathos, theatricality, and symbolic rigour.

Through Bernini’s astonishing sculptures, including numerous busts, as well as his paintings and drawings, the exhibition reconstructs the stages of this partnership, highlighting how Barberini patronage helped Bernini rise to become the undisputed star of the Roman art scene and how, at the same time, the artist’s work contributed decisively to the construction of the public image and historical memory of Urban VIII.

The aim of the exhibition is thus to offer a critical interpretation of the relationship between art and power, focusing on the central role of papal patronage in defining the aesthetics and cultural identity of the Baroque period. Four hundred years after 1626, when Urban VIII consecrated St. Peter’s Basilica, the relationship of patronage, protection, and mutual exaltation that united Bernini and Urban VIII is, for the first time, investigated in depth, showing how this alliance contributed to defining the face of the Baroque and the very image of Rome as the artistic capital of modern Europe.

Palazzo Barberini was the obvious choice as the venue for the project, as Bernini’s contribution to the construction of this Baroque palace represents a pivotal moment in the development of seventeenth-century Roman architecture, and an emblematic example of his collaboration with Borromini, Maderno, and Pietro da Cortona, as well as of his role as a "total" architect. Commissioned by the powerful Barberini family, and in particular by Urban VIII for his nephews Taddeo and Francesco, the palazzo was conceived as a political and cultural manifesto of the new papal power. The architectural design was initially entrusted to Carlo Maderno, but upon his death in 1629, Bernini took on a major role in continuing the work, collaborating with Borromini. In this context, Bernini was responsible primarily for the general layout of the building and its monumental representativeness, while Borromini contributed more experimental and innovative solutions. The final result is a complex synthesis in which Bernini’s monumentality and Borromini’s dynamic tension coexist in balance.

One of the most significant elements attributed to Bernini’s involvement is the spatial conception of the palazzo as an open residence, characterized by an H-shaped layout that integrates architecture and garden. This choice reflects a new concept of aristocratic residence, no longer closed and defensive but open, visually striking, and in dialogue with the surrounding environment. While maintaining a classical style, the main façade is enlivened by a sculptural rhythm that anticipates the Baroque period, evident in the use of overlapping loggias and the highly accentuated central section, with its focal point marked by the family’s coat of arms showing the Barberini bees, also designed by Bernini. The square staircase attributed to Bernini is also noteworthy, designed as a solemn space for the ceremonial functions of the Barberini court. It contrasts with Borromini’s spiral staircase, creating an unprecedented architectural dialogue. Overall, Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s work at Palazzo Barberini demonstrates his ability to translate the fundamental principles of Roman Baroque architecture into reality: dynamism, monumentality, and symbolic function. The palazzo thus became not only a noble residence, but also a veritable instrument of self-representation for papal power, in which art was used to support politics and dynastic celebration.

The exhibition features masterpieces on loan from major international museums – such as the Louvre, the Getty Museum, the National Gallery in London, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, and the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, to name but a few – with the aim of presenting unique comparisons and bringing back to Rome works that have been absent for decades, in some cases for centuries. This is an international project on which we have worked with enormous passion and determination over the past two years. It involves not only the Gallerie Nazionali, but the whole of Rome, thanks in part to the unprecedented collaboration and patronage of the Fabbrica di San Pietro in the Vatican.

My heartfelt thanks go to the curators with whom the project was conceived: Andrea Bacchi, one of the world’s leading Bernini experts, and our own Maurizia Cicconi, a specialist in Barberini-related topics. We worked tirelessly with both of them, overcoming a number of considerable difficulties. This exhibition would not have been possible without the support of the Directorate-General for Museums within the Ministry of Culture and its Director-General, Professor Massimo Osanna. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the Italian and international institutions that have lent us works, as well as to the private collections that have supported us and the members of the Scholarly Committee. I am deeply grateful to all my esteemed colleagues at the Gallerie Nazionali, who have worked with enormous dedication, and in particular the following, in addition to Maurizia Cicconi: Alessandro Cosma (project manager), Claudia Sarpi, Michele Di Monte, Paola Guarnera, Dario Aureli, Gabriele Mari, Marco Corsi, Cinzia Ammannato, Simona Baldi, Chiara Di Marco, Cristina Lio, Francesco Canto, Stefano Sergio, Diego Giacomelli, and Anastasia Grazioli. An ambitious exhibition of this kind required a specialized publisher for the accompanying catalogue, for which I would like to thank Allemandi; the support of a strategic main partner such as Intesa Sanpaolo, which is helping us for the second year running, demonstrating an unparalleled vision; and a virtuous synergy between the public and private sectors, for which I express my deepest gratitude to Michele Coppola for his confidence in and support of our projects.

Thomas Clement Salomon, Director Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica

We are delighted to have lent our support to an exhibition of such enormous scholarly significance, which, thanks also to the original contributions featured in this comprehensive catalogue, is set to mark a new and decisive milestone in the long international history of the study of Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his work. This major cultural initiative, and its immensely symbolic location in Palazzo Barberini, unlocks fresh opportunities for a deeper understanding of one of those universal geniuses who, through their complexity, continue to suggest new and stimulating avenues of exploration.

In addition to its not-so-coincidental timing on the 400th anniversary of the consecration of the new St. Peter’s Basilica – the pinnacle of Roman Baroque and of Bernini’s extraordinary creative career – the exhibition takes place shortly after a momentous event for the Church, now known as the Jubilee of Two Popes (the Jubilee of Hope), which saw Rome become the very focus of global attention in 2025. No artist succeeded as fully as Bernini in conveying through his "total" art the universal vocation of a then triumphant Church, which spread its message across all continents. These continents are evoked, not by chance, through their main rivers – the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile, and the Rio de la Plata – in the magnificent Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, one of the most famous monuments in the world and a work that has become a symbol of Rome itself.

Bernini was the greatest creator and interpreter of the grand urban theatre of Baroque Rome. We need only think of Bernini’s other fountains, such as the Triton Fountain, the Fountain of the Bees, and the Fountain of the Moor, and above all of St. Peter’s impressive colonnade, created to represent the maternal arms of the Church that have welcomed the faithful for centuries. Thanks also to its frequent presence in the media, Bernini’s colonnade is one of the icons most deeply imprinted in the collective imagination, as is the majestic Baldacchino that towers over the Basilica’s high altar, now a symbol of the centre of Christian unity. Like all of Bernini’s masterpieces, it evokes a sense of wonder at the impressive creativity of his inventive spirit, much as it struck Gabriele d’Annunzio in his Elegie romane: "The four columns rise, sparkling in the shadows, / which Bernini twisted into spirals in pagan bronze." Bernini was able to bring to life in this astonishing work his idea of the magnificence of ancient pagan Rome, reinterpreted through a modern lens for Christian Rome.

Curated by Andrea Bacchi and Maurizia Cicconi, the exhibition Bernini and the Barberini celebrates the great artist through his special relationship with his main patron, Pope Urban VIII, born Maffeo Barberini, whose patronage contributed to the establishment and spread of the Baroque style in Italy and around the world. The charm and appeal of this extraordinary exhibition lie in its comprehensiveness, with the pieces on display tracing the versatility of Bernini’s work in sculpture, architecture, and design through his artworks and documents. It will certainly inspire the general public to rediscover Baroque Rome, where Bernini’s mark can be seen almost everywhere. This was a Rome that became legendary, celebrated by the Grand Tour, and which then exerted a strong influence on twentieth-century culture – on the poetry of Giuseppe Ungaretti, the painting of Scipione, and the growth of cinema.

Thanks to significant loans, which have made it possible to display many works that have never been shown before and are therefore little known to the general public, the exhibition reconstructs the dazzling career of one of the most active and long-lived artists in history. Bernini lived to the age of eighty-two – an unusual achievement for the time – while retaining his vigour, so much so that at sixty-five he "wanted to walk as if he were thirty or forty", according to Chantelou’s account in his enchanting Journal de voyage du Cavalier Bernin en France, written during the artist’s famous sojourn in Paris. The "man who drives people crazy" with his multifaceted personality and intelligence, as the poet Fulvio Testi wrote, has among his many claims to fame that of having truly revolutionized not only technique, but the very idea of sculpture. This would happen again a century and a half later with Antonio Canova.

There are few exhibitions dedicated to sculpture, because of the effort involved in moving these pieces, because it is less studied, and because of the belief that it is less appealing, as it is more difficult for the public to understand than painting. Through the restoration work and exhibitions at the various Gallerie d’Italia sites, Intesa Sanpaolo has always given sculpture the space and attention it deserves, in dialogue with other forms of artistic expression. Sculpture is an art form that can be said to define Italy, the land that has given the world its greatest sculptors throughout history. We should recall the exhibitions devoted to the magnificent Torlonia marbles, the female portraits of Imperial Rome, the comparison between two geniuses, Canova and Thorvaldsen, the rediscovery of the forgotten Francesco Bertos, and the upcoming tribute at the Milanese site of the Gallerie d’Italia to a leading figure of the twentieth century, Arnaldo Pomodoro.

As with the extraordinary exhibition Caravaggio 2025, the Bank is once again supporting the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica, one of the country’s most prestigious museums, with the exhibition Bernini and the Barberini, a project of huge cultural, scholarly, and educational value that tells the story of one of the most surprising chapters in the history of sculpture.

Gian Maria Gros-Pietro, Chairman Intesa Sanpaolo
Giovanni Bazoli, Chairman Emeritus Intesa Sanpaolo