This winter, the city of Lucca will host a great event in the world of the arts. The exhibition on Pompeo Batoni (Lucca 1708 – Rome 1787), one of the greatest representatives of 18th century European art, will take place at Lucca’s Palazzo Ducale, from December 6, 2008, to March 29, 2009.
Through this exhibit being held on the tercentennial of his birth, the city of Lucca pays homage to its illustrious citizen who went on to affirm himself on an international level,first in Rome and then in England, where he became one of the most sought-after painters by the British aristocracy. And it is the Anglo-Saxon world that dedicated two exhibitions to this artist in the course of 2008: first at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, and then at the National Gallery of London. Now, Lucca crowns this international itinerary by promoting the conclusive exhibit, the most complete not only in terms of quantity of works but also for the presence (next to portraits and profane subjects) of large-size paintings and spectacular altar pieces.
The exhibit, entitled “Pompeo Batoni: L’Europa delle Corti e il Grand Tour” (Europe of theNoble Courts and the Grand Tour”, will consist of about 100 paintings by the Lucca artist, temporarily loaned for the occasion by the major public and private collections in Europe and the USA. Six sections comprise the exhibit, in a path to discover and re-visit the different phases of Batoni’s long artistic career. The visit will follow a prevalently chronological criterion. And within the individual time periods, the themes and typologies elaborated by the painter will be highlighted. A series of furniture pieces and art objects will recreate the context and taste for the “studio painting”, the genre connected to Batoni’s fame.
POMPEO BATONI. 1708-1787. Europe of the noble courts and the Grand Tour, December 6,2008 – March 29, 2009 Lucca, Palazzo Ducale (Cortile Carrara, 1, Lucca)
Website: www.pompeobatoni.it
For information and reservations: Phone: 199 199 111 from abroad: +39 2 43353522
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM;
The exhibition will be closed on December 25th and January 1st, 2009, and on Monday every week except for December 8th, 22nd and 29th and January 5th, 2009.