From 12 February to 14 June 2026, the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica, with the support of the General Directorate for Museums and the Ministry of Culture, and the backing of Intesa Sanpaolo as Main Partner, present “Bernini and the Barberini”, curated by Andrea Bacchi and Maurizia Cicconi.
The exhibition project investigates the special relationship between Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Maffeo Barberini, his first and most influential patron, elected to the Papacy in 1623 with the name of Pope Urban VIII.
The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to re-examine the birth of the Baroque style as seen through the privileged lens of the personal and intellectual exchange between Bernini and Pope Urban VIII, key figures in the affirmation of the artistic language of their time.
The exhibition, which is sponsored by the Fabbrica di San Pietro at the Vatican, coincides with the 400th anniversary of the consecration of the new Basilica of St. Peter (1626), one of the pinnacles of the Roman Baroque and of Bernini's career.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by Allemandi.