Views of Rome from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century on display at the Paolo Antonacci Gallery

How was Rome seen by the painters who painted it between the 17th and 19th centuries? This is the theme of the new exhibition of Rome’s Paolo Antonacci Gallery, which presents the exhibition Roman Suggestions - Views of Rome from the 18th to the 19th century, scheduled from May 24 to June 21, 2024 in the space on Via Alibert overlooking Via Margutta, in the heart of the capital. This exhibition offers the opportunity to admire a collection of views of the Eternal City, some of which have never been exhibited to the public before, from two important Roman private collections.

Rome, with its ancient ruins and iconic monuments, has exerted an irresistible fascination on painters of every era, from Baroque times to the present day. Among the first artists to immortalize the wonders of Rome was Gaspar van Wittel (Amersfoort, 1653 - Rome, 1736), known for his precious views of the city in the late 17th century. The visionary etchings of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Mogliano Veneto, 1720 - Rome, 1778) spread knowledge of Roman monuments to a wider audience. Giovanni Paolo Panini (Piacenza, 1691 - Rome, 1765), with his views and capriccios, was particularly appreciated by intellectuals beyond the Alps. The exhibition presents one of his magnificent Capricci with ancient ruins. The 19th century saw a further development of the subject of the veduta as a pictorial genre, parallel to the spread of en plein air painting. Artists of all nationalities came to Italy to study and portray its beauty. Among them: Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg and other Danish landscape painters, Frenchman Camille Corot, numerous German and English artists.

The exhibition includes fifteen paintings that offer a glimpse of historic Rome: a Capriccio with ancient ruins by Giovanni Paolo Panini, Rome from Monte Mario by Englishman Arthur John Strutt (Chelmsford, 1818 - Rome, 1888), a nocturnal St. Peter’s with Castel Sant’Angelo in the moonlight by Frenchman Antoine Claude Ponthus-Cinier (Lyon, 1812 - 1885), a romantic image of Via San Sebastianello by Dane Carl Frederik Aagaard (Odense, 1833 - Copenhagen 1895), a Roman Campagna with the Claudian Aqueduct by the Swiss Johann Jakob Frey (Basel, 1813 - Frascati, 1865), aTrinitàdei Monti by the German Jakob Wilhelm Huber (Düsseldorf, 1787 - Zurich, 1871), a View of Villa Borghese by Giambattista Bassi (Massa Lombarda, 1784 - Rome, 1852).

Every collector jealously preserves a view of Rome, often the last work to be sold. Finding this kind of painting is therefore particularly difficult. The exhibition Roman Suggestions therefore offers a rare opportunity to appreciate these extraordinary works, which capture the essence and eternal beauty of Rome. The exhibition opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Views of Rome from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century on display at the Paolo Antonacci Gallery

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