The National Art Museum Timișoara has taken on a bold goal in its mission to transform the city into a cultural center of reference, bringing for the first time in Romania exhibitions of international renown, designed to inspire and attract a diverse audience. This ambitious vision took shape with the opening of the exhibition “The Lights of Caravaggio. The dawn of modernity in European painting, masterpieces from the Roberto Longhi Collection” on November 16, 2024. The exhibition has become a true cultural magnet: the 16,000 tickets sold reflecting not only the public’s desire to enjoy a unique artistic experience in Timișoara, but also the power of Caravaggio’s vision to generate a broad European backlash over a period of more than 400 years, from painting to cinema. The exhibition enjoyed innovative elements on the accessibility side, as well as a live tableaux vivante show in conjunction with the exhibition, an absolute first for a museum in Romania. MNArT reached on this occasion a new absolute record of young people visiting the exhibition on the same day.

Organized from 16 November 2024 to 28 February 2025, the exhibition is the result of the collaboration between the National Art Museum Timișoara, Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell’Arte Roberto Longhi in Florence and Civita Mostre e Musei in Rome, with the financial support of the Timiș County Council. The event is held under the High Patronage of the Ministries of Culture of Romania and Italy.

Visitors have the unique opportunity to admire for the first time in Romania an original painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio in 1597, alongside 42 works by European artists from his circle: Lorenzo Lotto, Valentin de Boulogne, Juseppe Ribera, Gian Battista Caracciolo, Dirck van Baburen, Mattia Preti, Gerrit Van Honthorst and others.

The success of the exhibition confirms the role of the National Art Museum Timisoara in promoting cultural values and shows that the public is eager to explore international artistic heritage. We are glad to see that our efforts to bring art closer to people are met with enthusiasm and appreciation.

We would like to thank all those who contributed to this success: the visitors who crossed our threshold, the partners who supported this endeavor, the sponsors who financially supported this project, the volunteers involved in making the project accessible and the museum team for their dedication. Each contribution played a key role in making this exhibition a fascinating cultural event.

For further information on the visiting program and ticket purchase, please visit the official website of the National Art Museum Timișoara (https://mnart.museum/).

 

The exhibition “Caravaggio’s Lights. The dawn of modernity in European painting, masterpieces from the Roberto Longhi collection” is organized by the National Museum of Art Timișoara in collaboration with Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell’Arte Roberto Longhi in Florence and Civita Mostre e Musei in Rome, and supported by the following sponsors: the Rotary Clubs of Timișoara, Constructim, E.ON Romania, Cramele Recaș, Ebig, Lutz & Associates, Modvin, SSF and Rețele Electrice Romania.

Exhibition partners: Embassy of Italy Bucharest; Embassy of Romania to the Italian Republic, Malta and San Marino; “Traian Vuia” International Airport Timișoara, Baroque Festival Association; TM 2023 Association; Camera dei Deputati Comissione Cultura; Camera di Commercio Italiana per la Romania; County Department of Culture Timiș; Inspectoratul Școlar Județean Timiș; Istituto Italiano di Cultura Bucarest; Jandarmeria Română; Muzeul Civilizației Dacice și Romane Deva; Muzeul Național al Banatului; Societatea de Transport Public Timișoara; Televiziunea Română Timișoara; CNR UNESCO; West University of Timișoara, Faculty of Arts and Design and TactileLibrary team.net.