Galleria Borghese: The Splendid Collection of a Noble Family

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Raphael (1505–06) Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn
coll. Galleria Borghese      The Galleria Borghese (also known as the Borghese Gallery) is located in the vast grounds of the Villa Borghese in the northeastern part of Rome, Italy.  This seventeenth-century building houses the famed collection of the noble Borghese family, and is said to be a world-famous treasure trove of Renaissance and Baroque art.
     From the old masters of the Renaissance, such as Raphael and Botticelli, to Caravaggio, the so-called “first modern painter” and forerunner of Baroque art, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, amongst others, the present exhibition has been organized with artworks from the splendid collection selected to survey Italian art in its height of prosperity.
     This is the first time that the collection of the Galleria Borghese will be shown as a group in Japan, and, furthermore, the first time that most of the works will be shown in Japan at all.  The exhibition has been structured to facilitate the understanding of “the transition of expression” that has taken place in ‘the age of brilliance’ by presenting a chronological view from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries.  Additionally, the history of the family from which a pope and a cardinal had emerged as well as the magnificent architecture of the Villa Borghese, which still welcomes visitors as the museum building to this day, will also be introduced.
     The Japanese public will be offered a priceless opportunity to understand a rare moment of transition in history from the Renaissance to the Baroque by learning about the development of the Borghese Collection, beginning with Cardinal Scipione Borghese’s patronage of artists such as Caravaggio and Bernini.
     Two and a half centuries of Italian art history will be represented by approximately fifty masterworks from the Borghese Collection.  With Raphael’s Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn as the centerpiece, and the emergence of the “maverick” Caravaggio and his followers (Caravaggisti) as the conclusion, this will certainly be an exhibition to remember.

Related events
Lecture: “The History of the Borghese Family and the Arts”
October 31 (Sat.), 2009  2:00–3:30PM (numbered tickets distributed 11:00AM–)
1F lecture hall
Free admission; maximum capacity 100
Organizers: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; NHK Kyoto Station; NHK PlanNet, Inc., Kinki Branch Office
Lecturer: Maria Grazia Bernardini (Soprintendenza Speciale per il Polo Museale Romano)
in Italian with Japanese translation

Lecture: “The Galleria Borghese and Caravaggio”
November 14 (Sat.), 2009  2:00PM– (numbered tickets distributed 11:00AM–)
1F lecture hall
Free admission; maximum capacity 100
Lecturer: MIYASHITA Kikuro (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities, Kobe University)
in Japanese only

Lecture: “Find the Artist!  The Galleria Borghese and the Two Connoisseurs”
November 28 (Sat.), 2009  2:00PM– (numbered tickets distributed 11:00AM–)
1F lecture hall
Free admission; maximum capacity 100
Lecturer: OKADA Atsushi (Professor, Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University)
in Japanese only

For Kids: “Night Tour for Parents and Children”
November 15 (Sun.), 2009  6:00–7:00PM (meet in the lecture hall by 5:45PM)
1F lecture hall, 3F exhibition hall
Free admission; 20 pairs of parents and children (elementary school)
first come first served, reservation required
Organizers: NHK Kyoto Station; The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
Lecturer: YAMANO Hidetsugu (Curator, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto)
Contact: NHK Kyoto  TEL (075) 841-4321 (Mon.–Fri. excluding national holidays; 10:00AM–6:00PM)
in Japanese only

Concert: “Italian Piano Concert for Parents and Children”
Day 1: December 6 (Sun.), 2009  11:30AM–12:00PM, 3:00–3:30PM
Day 2: December 13 (Sun.), 2009  11:30AM–12:00PM, 3:00–3:30PM
1F hall
Pianist: ICHIHARA Ai (M.A. student, Kyoto City University of Arts)
Program: Franz Liszt, Années de pèlerinage—Deuxième Année: Italie, “No. 1: Sposalizio”; Franz Liszt, Venezia e Napoli (supplement to Années de pèlerinage—Deuxième Année: Italie), “No. 8: Gondoliera,” “No. 9: Canzone,” “No. 10: Tarantella”
Free admission Open to all audiences (not just parents and children).
Contact: NHK Kyoto  TEL (075) 841-4321 (Mon.–Fri. excluding national holidays; 10:00AM–6:00PM)

NHK BIG ART Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn
November 1 (Sun.) – December 25 (Fri.), 2009
Contact: NHK Kyoto  TEL (075) 841-4321 (Mon.–Fri. excluding national holidays; 10:00AM–6:00PM)
in Japanese only

Exhibition dates

Saturday, October 31 – Sunday, December 27, 2009

Closed on Mondays

Exceptions: Open on Nov. 3 (Mon.) and Nov. 23 (Mon./holiday)

Works on display

Galleria Borghese: The Splendid Collection of a Noble Family: Exhibition checklist

Exhibition structure

Prologue: The Birth of the Borghese Collection

Chapter I: The Brilliance of the Renaissance in the 15th Century

Chapter II: The Fruits of the Renaissance in the 16th Century—The Efflorescence of Various Styles

Chapter III: Advancement toward the New Style in the 17th Century—The Impulse to Follow Caravaggio

Borghese and Japan: Hasekura Tsunenaga and the Keichō Embassy to Europe

Organizers

The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto

NHK Kyoto Station

NHK PlanNet, Inc., Kinki Branch Office

Sponsors

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

Italian Embassy in Japan

The Italian Institute of Culture in Tokyo and Kyoto

Support

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd.

Cooperation

Nippon Cargo Airlines Co., Ltd.

Japan Airlines

Admission

	Day of admission	Advance	Group (20 or more)
Adult	1400	1200	1100
University students	1000	800	700
High school students	500	300	300
Junior high and younger	Free	Free	Free

Advance tickets: Ticket Pia, FamilyMart (P code: 688-764), Lawson (L code:

55597), other major ticket vendors and convenience stores

available from Sept. 1 (Tue.); free admission on Nov. 12 (Thu.) in commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty the Emperor’s Accession to the Throne

Publicity materials

Press release  PDF (2.42MB) in Japanese only

Flyer  PDF (781KB)

Other museums

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum  2010/01/16 (Sat.) – 04/04 (Sun.)

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