ST. PETERSBURG \u2014 \u201cIn Caravaggio\u2019s Light: Baroque Masterpieces from the Fondazione Roberto Longhi,\u201d a landmark exhibition, will open on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg. The exhibition will continue through March 22.<\/p>\n
Featuring some 40 masterpieces from one of the world\u2019s most revered private collections of 17th-century painting, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity for American audiences to experience the revolutionary genius of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and the international artists he inspired.<\/p>\n
At the exhibition\u2019s heart is Caravaggio\u2019s electrifying masterpiece, \u201cBoy Bitten by a Lizard\u201d (c. 1597), a cornerstone of the Fondazione Roberto Longhi collection. The painting freezes a fleeting moment of shock and pain, blending a lush still-life with piercing psychological insight. Its intense realism, dramatic light (chiaroscuro), and theatric power shattered artistic conventions. Remarkably, this will be the first time in more than a decade that the Longhi version of the iconic painting will be on view in the United States.<\/p>\n
Beyond Caravaggio, the exhibition charts his seismic impact on European art. Visitors will explore stunning works by his closest followers \u2014 the Caravaggisti \u2014 who adopted his bold techniques to create their own powerful art. These works include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Valentin de Boulogne\u2019s \u201cThe Denial of Saint Peter\u201d (c. 1615\u201317): An emotionally charged, large-scale masterpiece that showcases the artist\u2019s sophisticated use of shadow and narrative tension.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Jusepe de Ribera\u2019s series of Apostles (c. 1612): Works painted with haunting realism and dramatic light that convey deep spiritual intensity, underscoring Ribera\u2019s pivotal role in spreading tenebrism throughout Spain and Naples.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Carlo Saraceni\u2019s \u201cJudith with the Head of Holofernes\u201d (c. 1618): A dramatic and gripping tableau that exemplifies the artist\u2019s masterful blend of Venetian colorism and Caravaggesque lighting.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Matthias Stomer\u2019s \u201cThe Annunciation of Samson’s Birth\u201d (c. 1630\u201332) and \u201cThe Healing of Tobit\u201d (c. 1640\u20131649): Paintings whose cinematic scale and radiant compositions underscore the Dutch artist\u2019s place among the greatest interpreters of sacred drama in Caravaggio\u2019s wake.<\/p>\n
All works in the exhibition come from the collection of Roberto Longhi (1890\u20131970), the legendary Italian art historian and connoisseur. His pioneering scholarship in the 20th century restored Caravaggio to his rightful place in the art historical canon. Longhi\u2019s discerning eye not only rediscovered lost masterpieces, but also assembled one of the most significant and personal collections of Baroque painting ever formed. Much of this collection has never before traveled to the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaravaggio changed painting forever, and his influence echoes through the centuries\u201d said Stanton Thomas, William and Hazel Hough chief curator. \u201cThis exhibition is an extraordinary opportunity to experience that revolution firsthand, from a masterwork by Caravaggio himself to the daring interpretations of those he inspired. To host the Longhi collection here at the MFA is a profound privilege for our museum and our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
To complement \u201cIn Caravaggio\u2019s Light,\u201d the museum will concurrently present \u201cBaroque Continuum: Caravaggio and the Caravaggisti Over Time.\u201d This focused exhibition traces the enduring reach of Caravaggio\u2019s innovations across four centuries, from the Baroque period through to the present day. Featuring works in painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture, \u201cBaroque Continuum\u201d reveals how artists across Europe and the Americas have drawn on Caravaggio\u2019s dramatic realism, theatrical staging, and emotional intensity to explore psychological states and human experience in ever-evolving ways. Artists featured in \u201cBaroque Continuum\u201d include Thomas Anshutz, Gertrude K\u00e4sebier, Edward Steichen, Dianora Nicolini, Reza Aramesh, and others.<\/p>\n
The exhibition design across both shows will immerse visitors in the world of Baroque. The galleries will be transformed with sumptuous damask wall coverings and theatrical lighting to evoke the dramatic, opulent environment for which these paintings were created.<\/p>\n
The museum will present a robust slate of programs alongside \u201cIn Caravaggio\u2019s Light\u201d and \u201cBaroque Continuum.\u201d Highlights include scholar talks and tours with leading experts from the Fondazione Roberto Longhi and a one-night-only immersive opera by Nathan Felix. The full list of programs can be found online at mfastpete.org\/exhibition\/in-caravaggios-light\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg has an encyclopedic collection of art from around the globe and across the centuries, with almost 5,000 years of civilization represented in thousands of objects extending from antiquity to the present. The collection includes works by Georgia O\u2019Keeffe, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Auguste Rodin, Kehinde Wiley, Jacob Lawrence, and many others, as well as ancient Greek and Roman, Asian, African, Art of the Americas, and Native American art.<\/p>\n