Until 4 February 2018, the Ala Ponzone Museum in Cremona features the exhibition Genovesino. Nature and Invention in 17th-Century Painting
Born in Genoa (hence his nickname), Luigi Miradori also known as Genovesino is one of the most extravagant and original Italian Baroque painters; after living in his home city he briefly settled in Piacenza before moving to Cremona in 1637 where he lived until he died in 1656.
The works by Genovesino during his 20-year-long stay in Lombardy are characterized by a personal style that combines the reality of Caravaggio with a typically Baroque passion for fancy, surprising effects.
Possibly because his career did not develop in a major center, Genovesino is still a not-so-known artist, despite his works expressing great originality and brilliant artistic capability.
That’s why this exhibition in Cremona, the first solo retrospective dedicated to Genovesino, eventually fills a gap.
Curated by Marco Tanzi, Francesco Frangi, and Valerio Guazzoni, and designed by Bianchini & Lusiardi architects, the exhibition unfolds chronologically and thematically into six galleries.
Fifty paintings by Genovesino are on view in the exhibition, on loan from museums, religious institutions, and private collections in Italy and the United States.
On the occasion of the Genovesino exhibition, Cremona will hosts also a program of concerts, art-related activities, and special events.
Genovesino exhibition, Cremona, entrance room, installation view; photos © Inexhibit, 2017
Genovesino exhibition, installation views; photo © Inexhibit
Genovesino (Luigi Miradori) Lute PLayer with Vanitas Symbols, c. 1640, oil on canvas, Palazzo Rosso, Genoa; photo © Inexhibit
Genovesino (Luigi Miradori) Portrait of marquis Sigismondo Ponzone, 1646, oil on canvas, Ala Ponzone Museum, Cremona
Genovesino (Luigi Miradori), Rest of the Flight into Egypt, detail, 1651, oil on canvas
Views of the preparation of the “Genovesino” exhibition; Photos © Inexhibit.
Cremona, The Ala Ponzone Museum
Genovesino. Nature and Invention in the Cremonese 17th Painting”
from 6 October 2017 through 4 February 2018
Museo Civico Ala Ponzone, Via Ugolani Dati, 6 – Cremona