ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The exhibition “The Lights of Caravaggio. The dawn of modernity in European painting, masterpieces from the Roberto Longhi collection” is a new flagship event that continues the legacy of Timisoara 2023 – European Capital of Culture. The project is dedicated to the paintings of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and the artists in his circle, whose core of research was defined by Roberto Longhi, one of the most fascinating art historians of the 20th century. The original paintings, from the Longhi collection, have been brought to the public’s attention in various curatorial selections, such as at Palazzo Caffarelli, Capitoline Museums in Rome in 2020, Italy, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Caen, France in 2021 and in 2022 at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland.

“Caravaggio’s Lights. The Beginning of Modernity in European Painting, Masterpieces from the Roberto Longhi Collection” at the National Museum of Art Timisoara in 2024 will present for the first time in Romania an original painting by Caravaggio, painted in 1597, accompanied by works by artists from his area of influence, such as Lorenzo Lotto, Juseppe Ribera, Gian Battista Caracciolo, Dirck van Baburen, Mattia Preti, Gerrit Van Honthorst, etc. Alongside Caravaggio’s paintings and representatives of the ‘Caravaggesque’ style, the public will have the opportunity to discover a visual dialog between two collections, including a Caravaggio-inspired work from the European art collection founded by Ormos Zsigmond in 1872.

The 43 works reflect Caravaggio’s innovation, masterfully appropriated by 33 other creators of European painting.

Exceptionally, through the exhibition “The Lights of Caravaggio. The Beginnings of Modernity in European Painting, Masterpieces from the Roberto Longhi Collection”, the public will be able to admire Caravaggio’s original paintings, together with works of art that highlight his influence among painters contemporary to his time, as well as his contribution to what was to become the European Baroque as a trailblazer of modern painting worldwide.

The exhibition will take place between 16 November 2024 – 28 February 2025, in the Ioachim Miloia Gallery of the Baroque Palace, in the exhibition spaces where the National Art Museum Timișoara organized the exhibition “Brâncuși – Romanian Sources and Universal Perspectives”.

SCHEDULE

November 16, 2024 – February 28, 2025

OPEN: Wednesday – Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00

CLOSED: Monday, Tuesday, December 25-26, 2024 and January 1st 2025

Free access every first Wednesday of the month.

What you need to know about free:

– Free access is valid exclusively for “Caravaggio’s Lights” exhibition.

– There are 1000 tickets available, collected from the museum’s cash desk, sale limited to available stock on hand, on the day.

– Every visitor has access to maximum 2 tickets per visitor.

ADULT GUIDED TOURS

SCHOOL WORKSHOPS

A museum specialist will reveal interesting details about the secrets behind the exhibition and the masterpieces on display. In this way, you will understand the genius of the great artist, a genuine innovative spirit. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio revolutionized Baroque painting with his tenebrist style, characterized by a dramatic relationship between light and shadow, having a significant impact on the great schools of painting in Southern and Northern Europe. His unique style, known as Caravaggism, profoundly influenced European art.

The name of Roberto Longhi, the most important Italian art historian of the 20th century, is closely linked to Florence, collecting and the re-evaluation of Caravaggio’s painters. Longhi has opened new perspectives in art history, emphasizing the importance of Caravaggio and his influence not only on the realist currents in painting, but also on the new realism in Italian cinema.

Important details:

Appointments can be made at office@mnart.museum.

The guide fee is 150 lei and is applicable exclusively at the museum’s ticket office, valid only for groups of minimum 10 people, regardless of whether tickets are purchased online or directly at the ticket office.

Please arrive at the museum at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time in order to finalize the entry formalities.

MNArT has developed the cultural educational program “Light and Shadow”, which is aimed at primary school pupils and those in the 5th and 6th grades and includes cultural mediation workshops and practical creative activities inspired by the exhibition theme. These will be organized during the period of the exhibition, until 28 February 2025, on the days of:

Wednesday and Thursday: 10:00 – 11:30, 12:00 – 13:30

Friday: 10:00 – 11:30

“Light and Shadow” educational program – Cultural Mediation Workshops will be held according to the exhibition’s visitation schedule, with the exception of the period December 21, 2024 – January 14, 2025. The workshops will include the exhibition visit and 2 hands-on creative activities: The world in the mirror and World in the Shadow, connected with the exhibition theme.

A maximum of 30 students and a maximum of 2 accompanying persons can participate in a workshop. Bookings exceeding this number will be canceled and notification will be sent by e-mail within 24 hours.

School visits are organized during the opening hours of the museum and can be scheduled at contact@mnart.museum.

VISITING RULES

WARDROBE AND LUGGAGE

Backpacks, umbrellas, bags, small suitcases and coats should be left in the cloakroom. Visitors may not bring bags or suitcases larger than the size of a cabin bag (55cm x 40cm x 20cm) to the museum. The capacity of the cloakroom is limited, so we apologize if we are unable to accept these items during busy periods.

PROHIBITED

The following are prohibited in the museum: smoking, eating or drinking, potentially dangerous objects or materials, making noises, running, going beyond the barriers that delimit the visitors’ areas, touching the works of art.

Bottles of water up to 500 ml are allowed, but should only be consumed outside the galleries.

PHOTOGRAPHY, AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING

Flash photography is not allowed.

DISABLED ACCESS

Wheelchair access is allowed in the museum. There are mobile step elevators and you can request to use them at the museum entrance. It is recommended that you give at least 48 hours’ notice.

The museum does not have parking, an indoor elevator or disabled toilets.