Description

From June 2023 to January 2024, the Louvre Museum in Paris welcomed sixty major masterpieces from the Museo di Capodimonte, on loan for the very first time for the exhibition Naples in Paris: The Louvre Hosts the Museo di Capodimonte. The former Italian royal palace, which once served as a hunting lodge for Bourbon monarchs, is now one of the largest museums in Italy holding one of the continent’s most important collections of Italian paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Among the artworks featured are the famously enigmatic Antea by Parmigianino, a poignant painting of the Crucifixion by Masaccio, the Transfiguration of Christ by Giovanni Bellini, and preparatory cartons by Raphael and Michelangelo. On the occasion of this historic artistic exchange, acclaimed photographer Robert Polidori was granted exclusive access to the preparations of the exhibition in the Louvre’s prestigious Grand Galerie and Horloge and Chapelle Rooms. Known for his unique images of architecture and interiors, Polidori exquisitely captures the process and inner workings of the arrival, set-up, and display of the artworks. Part photography monograph, part art history book, this unique publication reveals the hidden workings behind one of the most significant collaborative efforts among major museums in recent years.