Italian Renaissance art gaining popularity in China with enhanced cultural exchanges

GUANGZHOU/ROME, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Rising interest in Italian classical arts among the Chinese public has fueled a strong partnership between museums in China and Italy, with Italian Renaissance and Baroque styles particularly popular in the Asian country.

A Caravaggio-themed exhibition organized by the Galleria Borghese wrapped up in Shanghai in April.

Meanwhile, a collection of Renaissance masterpieces has been attracting significant attention in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Called "Timeless Verses: Renaissance and Baroque Masterpieces from Galleria Borghese," the exhibition at the Guangdong Museum of Art features 55 original works by famous artists of the 16th and 17th centuries, such as Raphael, Rubens, and Titian.

"Unlike the exhibition in Shanghai, in this collection we want to focus on the Renaissance period and the works of sixteenth-century artists," said Francesca Cappelletti, director of the Galleria Borghese.

The works chosen for the exhibition represent a brilliant era in the artistic history of Italy and the world, said Valerio de Parolis, Consul General of Italy in Guangzhou.

"In recent years we have had this possibility to show our works, partly because the museum had a period of restoration," Cappelletti added.

It marks the first attempt by Guangdong Museum of Art to introduce the works from Galleria Borghese to audiences in Guangdong, said Fan Lin, curator of the exhibition. The show aims to present a comprehensive genealogy of the relationships between key figures from the Italian Renaissance.

"So far, the response from the audience has been very good. We are going to invest more in public education, such as academic lectures, to help people better understand the Italian Renaissance," Fan said.

A visitor named Li, attracted by the works of those well-known painters, was impressed by the exhibition. "Although I am not very familiar with many painters, their works are of high quality, allowing us to better understand European classical art."

The inaugural collaboration between the Galleria Borghese and the Guangdong Museum of Art reflected a broader trend of deepening dialogue between cultural institutions.

In 2021, the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy, and Shanghai Bund One Art Museum signed an agreement to hold 10 exhibitions within five years, one of the most extensive art cooperation projects ever seen between the two countries.

Cappelletti said, "We look forward to further enriching Sino-Italian exchanges in the art field, based on the relationship that we have established with many Chinese museums."

De Parolis said, "I believe this exhibition will strengthen the ties between Italy and China in terms of cultural exchanges and beyond."