MANN in Naples showcases 100 works recently acquired by the museum, from Pietro Fabris to Vincenzo Gemito

From December 19, 2024 to February 24, 2025, the National Archaeological Museum of Naples presents the exhibition Da Pietro Fabris a Vincenzo Gemito. New MANN Acquisitions, an exhibition that offers the public the opportunity to discover a selection of 100 works recently acquired by the museum, including watercolors, gouaches, engravings, period photographs (with views of the Museum’s halls and Pompeii), and 19th-century copies of ancient bronzes. These new additions, the result of purchases and donations over the past two years, further enrich MANN’s collections.

Among the most notable purchases is a large late 18th-century watercolor by Roman artist Filippo Maria Giuntotardi (1768-1831), depicting one of the oldest views of Pompeii, Herculaneum Gate. Also prominent is a replica of the Pompeian bronze statuette of Narcissus, made by Neapolitan sculptor Vincenzo Gemito (1852-1929).

Among the donations, the twenty-three preparatory drawings donated by scholar and collector Carlo Knight (eight of which are on display in the exhibition) allow for a more accurate reconstruction of the history of The Antiquities of Herculaneum Exhibits. Also of great interest is Ernesto Bowinkel’s donation, which adds several thousand positives and about two hundred plate negatives to the museum’s photographic collections, all related to the tradition of the Grand Tour, which saw Naples and its antiquities as essential stops.

These acquisitions testify to the historical importance of the MANN, founded in 1777 and ready to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2027, which is not only the custodian of an extraordinary heritage of works of art, but also a place where classical antiquity constantly dialogues with the modern world.

Image: Pietro Fabris, Pompeii, Villa of Diomede (c. 1771-1773; tempera)

MANN in Naples showcases 100 works recently acquired by the museum, from Pietro Fabris to Vincenzo Gemito

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