An additional program for the exhibition: lectures, concerts, film screenings will be published on the gallery’s website.
Interview with exhibition curator Arkady Ippolitov and other materials on the web.
34 works and a series of 8 paintings by Donato Creti from the permanent exhibition of the Pinakothek were brought to Moscow. Works from the 12th to the 18th centuries are presented. This is a tenth of the collection, which includes 460 works. It is interesting that a number of paintings left their native walls for the first time. Most of the paintings were selected for the exhibition by the director of the Tretyakov Gallery, Zelfira Tregulova, and the curator, art critic and curator of the Hermitage's prints department, Arkady Ippolitov.
A return exhibition from the Tretyakov Gallery’s collection will go to the Vatican next fall.
The Vatican Museums are a museum of the history of Rome and Roman art. Here you can study all seven centuries of the history of the Papal State. Each hall of the Pinakothek is dedicated to one century. The eighth hall is dedicated to the work of Raphael.
Deputy Director of the Vatican Museums Barbara Yatta talks about the history of the Vatican Museums and more about the Pinacoteca. The current exhibition is “a very symbolic and unique selection from the collection of the Vatican Museums... The very arrangement of the works allows us to understand the historical connection. The exhibition shows how each work is located in one or another hall of the Pinakothek...” 
“This exhibition is a contribution to the relations between our countries and, most importantly, it is something that will leave a mark in the souls of the Russian people...”
The sound of the Italian language is an excellent additional opportunity to understand the very spirit of the Roman school of painting that the organizers wanted to convey.
HALL I
1
(left). Roman school. Christ the Blesser. XII century Altar image. Canvas pasted on wood, tempera.
“The exhibition begins with the rarest ancient icons“Christ Blessing”, created in the second half of the 12th century by a master working in Rome under the influence of Byzantine painting. Before entering the Pinacoteca, it was located in the church of Santa Maria in Campo Marzio, one of the oldest in Rome. The Roman master presented Jesus Christ in the image of Pantocrator, that is, the ruler of the Universe, and the icon, being an analogy of ancient Russian images of the Savior Pantocrator, preserves the memory of unity christian church before schism, that is, before its division into Catholic and Orthodox, and shows the direct relationship of Italian and Russian art, coming from the same root.”
But what different paths the art of our countries took in the future! Within the walls of the Tretyakov Gallery this is felt especially acutely.
Sincere faith comes from these two paintings, the oldest in the exhibition.
2. Margaritone di Magnano, nicknamed Margaritone d'Arezzo ca. 1216–1290).
Saint Francis of Assisi. 1250–1270. Altar image. Wood, tempera, gold. 127.2x53.9 cm.
"Margaritone d'Arezzo, born before Giotto and Duccio, is one of major painters medieval Italy. The painting is included in all art history textbooks as an outstanding example of late Romanesque style, but it is also interesting because it is one of the earliest images of St. Francis of Assisi, made shortly after his canonization in 1228. Saint Francis played a vital role in the history of the Western Church; it is not for nothing that the current pope chose his name, who became the first Francis in the history of the Vatican. this work"may have been exactly the one that Vasari described in his Life of Margaritone as painted from life, so that it can be considered almost one of the first portraits in Italian painting." 
7
(left). Gentile da Fabriano (c. 1370–1427).
Scenes from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker: St. Nicholas calms the storm and saves the ship. OK. 1425. Predella. Wood, tempera.
“Part of the predella by Gentile da Fabriano, one of the most captivating masters of Italian late Gothic, tells of a miracle performed by Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, equally revered by Orthodox and Catholic Church. On a ship caught in a storm and doomed to destruction, the sailors offered a prayer to Saint Nicholas, and he came to the rescue. The artist depicts the moment when the saint rushes from heaven to save the sailors. The mermaid swimming in the waves, according to medieval symbolism, personifies the demonic force that caused the storm, but Gentile da Fabriano, who scattered fantastic inhabitants of the deep sea in the waters, turns the edifying story about the victory over the devil into a wonderful picturesque mirage.”
8
(on right). Guido di Pietro, nicknamed Fra Beato Angelico (c. 1395–1455).
Scenes from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Around 1447–1449 (?). Predella. Wood, tempera, gold.
“Guido di Pietro took monastic vows under the name of Brother Giovanni, but Vasari already nicknamed him Angelico, the Angelic, both for the charm of his art and for the gentleness of his character. Later, the adjective “Beato” was added to the nickname, and he entered the history of art under the name Fra Beato Angelico, the Blessed Angelic Brother. In 1982, Pope John Paul II officially beatified him, and he is now heavenly patron artists. This is the most gentle and poetic artist of the Florentine 15th century. This work is dedicated to the miracles of St. Nicholas performed by him after his death. On the right, Saint Nicholas saves a ship from destruction, on the left, he addresses the sailors who sailed from Alexandria with a cargo of grain for the Roman emperor. He asks them to give grain to save his hometown from hunger, and promises that the load will not decrease from this.” 
10
(left). Carlo Crivelli (1435–1494).
Mourning. 1488. Lunette. Wood, tempera, gold.
“Carlo Crivelli, a Venetian by birth, left his native city early and became famous in the Marche region. During his lifetime he was popular, but later he was forgotten and rediscovered only in late XIX century. This lunette, which crowned the large altar, is one of his most stunning works. For the sake of expressiveness, the artist resorts to obvious violations of proportions, and in order to intertwine the hands of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Magdalene together, Crivelli makes right hand Christ is much longer than the left one. Bent over a knot of palms, Magdalene’s face, distorted by crying, becomes the emotional center of the picture. The work is strongly influenced by Northern Gothic, and is characterized by that incredible intensity of psychological experience that is characteristic of the mystical religious movements of the 15th century.” 
11
(in the center). Giovanni Bellini (c. 1432–1516).
Lamentation of Christ with Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and Mary Magdalene. OK. 1471–1474. Altar top. Wood, oil. 107x84 cm.
"Bellini - greatest artist Venetian school of the 15th century. This painting is one of his masterpieces. It was the finial of a large altar, and in its composition Bellini takes a decisive step towards the calm grandeur of the High Renaissance, overtaking many of his contemporary Florentine artists. The work is avant-garde in the mere fact that it is painted in oils, using a completely new technique for Italy, just brought to Venice from the Netherlands. The iconography is also original. Usually the main person in the Lamentation scene is the Virgin Mary. Only Joseph of Arimathea, Saint Nicodemus and Mary Magdalene are depicted here supporting Jesus from behind. The thoughtful silence in which the characters are immersed, emphasized by the tension of their clasped hands, gives this scene a rare psychological acuity.”
9
(on right). Ercole de Roberti (c. 1450–1496).
Miracles of Saint Vincenzo Ferrer. 1473. Predella. Wood, tempera.
“In the 15th century, Ferrara flourished under the Dukes of Este, becoming an influential Cultural Center Renaissance Italy. Ercole de Roberti is one of the most original artists Ferrara school. His predella is considered the most sophisticated predella of the Renaissance. It is dedicated to the acts of the Spanish saint Vincenzo Ferrer and is full of the mysterious and alluring spirit of Ferrara. The following episodes are depicted (from left to right): healing of a woman in labor - landscape - resurrection of a rich Jew - healing of a lame man - rescue of a child from a burning house - child killed by an insane mother - resurrection of a child. The iconography of the predella has not been fully deciphered, and the artist shows his erudition by combining Gothic extravagance with references to ancient art.”
14.15. Melozzo degli Ambrosi, nicknamed Melozzo da Forli (1438–1494).
Angels playing the lute. 1480. Fragments of a fresco removed from the wall. Right size: 117x93.5 cm.
The artist “...was invited to Rome by Pope Sixtus IV. He created many frescoes in Roman churches, so that Melozzo can be considered the founder of the Roman school, which flourished in the 16th–17th centuries. Three angels playing music are fragments of his painting of the dome of the Church of Santi Apostoli, a huge multi-figure composition “The Ascension of Christ”.
The fresco was perceived by contemporaries as a triumph of papal power, which revived Rome. The divine orchestra of angels symbolized unearthly beauty heaven, and the abstract concept of “music of heaven” is associated with the philosophical constructions of the model of the world, which the Pythagoreans and Platonists spoke about. Melozzo, as a Renaissance artist, combines ancient and Christian traditions in his work. His angels, glorifying the Lord according to the words of the Bible: “Let them praise His name with faces, on tympanum and harp, let them sing to Him, for the Lord takes pleasure in His people, glorifying the humble with salvation,” ideal, like ancient statues, and at the same time vital - they look like young pages at the courts of Renaissance rulers.” 
Among the many crucifixions, lamentations, entombments and other tragic scenes, the section of the exhibition with three angel-musicians is like a bright corner of paradise, a rest for the soul. They are characterized by lightness, lack of exaltation, and deliberate theatricality. The roughness and dullness of the fresco attracts the eye.
Listen and watch the story about the Pinakothek of Barbara Yatta and the continuation of the excursion
The Tretyakov Gallery presents a unique project.
For the first time the Vatican Museums are shown in Russia the best part its collection - masterpieces of the XII-XVIII centuries.
Never before have the Vatican Museums, which are among the ten largest collections in the world, taken out such a significant number of outstanding works from the permanent exhibition, so that the exhibition will become an event not only for Russia and Europe, but also for the whole world.
"Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca" - part big project. In 2017, the Vatican will host a reciprocal exhibition, a significant part of its exhibits will be works of Russian painting on gospel subjects from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.
Held at the State Tretyakov Gallery, largest meeting Russian painting, an exhibition of paintings predominantly Italian and predominantly Roman schools is quite natural.
Gentile da Fabriano "St. Nikolai saves the ship from sinking"
The spiritual connection between Moscow and Rome took shape in the 16th century, and this a joint project- the most important result of the interaction of two cultures: the culture of Rome, as the embodiment of Europeanness, and the culture of Moscow, as the embodiment of Russianness.
It is natural that among the great works presented at the exhibition, one can find many analogies and parallels with Russian art.
The purpose of the show is to present both the collection of the Pinacoteca, a section of the Vatican Museums, and the spirit of Rome, the great city. The Pinakothek collection was created as a collection of a state, the head of which is a clergyman, which is reflected in its composition - this is the greatest collection of religious painting.
Religion is a form of awareness of the world, so religious art is not reduced to a set of biblical or gospel stories, and the collection of the Vatican Pinakothek tells us exactly this.
It is as diverse as the culture of Rome, which is why the title of the exhibition includes Latin expression Roma Aeterna - “Eternal Rome”. This means the enormous cultural unity that Rome has become in the history of mankind, a city at the same time ancient and modern, uniting into a single whole such different eras as Antiquity, the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque.
Guido Reni "Apostle Matthew with the Angel"
Rome is the center of empire, the center of religion and the center of art: we can say that the concept of Roma Aeterna is one of the most important ideas of world culture. The exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery is dedicated to this idea.
Roman school, 12th century “Blessing Christ” and Margaritone d’Arezzo “St. Francis of Assisi"
Each piece presented at the exhibition is exceptional. It begins with a rare example of the Roman school of the 12th century, the image of “Christ Blessing,” which had never before been exhibited at temporary exhibitions and never left the Vatican. This ancient and great work, close to Byzantine painting, is also interesting because it reveals the common roots of Italian and Russian art.
This image, which preserves the memory of the unity of Christianity before the schism, is followed by the work of Margaritone d’Arezzo “St. Francis of Assisi” (13th century). It is included in all art history textbooks and is valuable because it is one of the earliest images of a saint who played an important role in the history of the Western church.
It was his name that was chosen by the current pope, who became the first Francis in the history of the Vatican.
Giovanni Bellini "Lamentation"
Two paintings date back to the heyday of the Renaissance: “The Miracles of Saint Vincenzo Ferrer” by Ercole de Roberti, one of the most interesting works the greatest master Ferrara school, and “Lamentation” by the Venetian Giovanni Bellini. There are no works of both in Russia.
The greatest success is that the exhibition will show the frescoes of angels by Melozzo da Forlì, which the Pinacoteca provides for exhibition to other museums on rare occasions. The paintings of this artist, considered one of the greatest painters of the Quattrocento, were removed from the apse dome during the reconstruction of the Church of Santi Apostoli in Rome and now decorate a special room of the Pinacoteca.
The works of Melozzo da Forli are so rare that their value is close to the most famous creations of Sandro Botticelli and Piero della Francesca.
Having been reproduced in huge numbers on various souvenirs, his angels became business card Rome. The High Renaissance, that is, the 16th century, is represented by the masterpieces of Perugino, Raphael, Correggio and Paolo Veronese.
Papal Rome reached its greatest power in the 17th century, during the Baroque era, and papal collections represent the painting of this particular century most fully and brilliantly. The masterpiece of this time at the exhibition is “Entombment” by Caravaggio.
Caravaggio “Entombment” and Nicolas Poussin “Martyrdom of St. Erasmus”
Altarpiece by Nicolas Poussin “The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus”, the most great work artist, written specifically for St. Peter's Basilica. This work was one of the most famous paintings cathedral and aroused the admiration of many Russian artists who lived in Rome.
Paolo Veronese "St. Elena"
The Baroque era also includes works by Caravaggists and artists of the Bolognese school (Lodovico Carracci, Guido Reni, Guercino), beautifully represented in the papal collections.
The exhibition ends with a series of paintings from the 18th century, essentially the last century in which the papacy played a state role. This series by Bolognese Donato Creti is dedicated to astronomical observations and logically completes the history of Lo Stato Pontificio, the Papal States that soon ceased to exist and turned into the Vatican, Lo Stato della Città del Vaticano.
Mariotto di Nardo. "Predella's Christmas" Around 1385 and Melozzo da Forli. "Angel playing the lute." 1480
The exhibition catalog includes articles by the curator and employee of the Vatican Museums and an album part, which includes all the exhibited works with detailed annotations.
Holding the exhibition and publishing its catalog would have been impossible without large-scale support Charitable Foundation A.B. Usmanov “Art, science and sport”.
The relationship between the Gallery and the Foundation is long history: in 2006, anniversary events dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the museum were supported, in 2006–2007 - a successful experience collaboration over the exhibition of James Whistler, in 2007 - over the retrospective of Dmitry Zhilinsky.
If you have time and desire, take a look documentary"Vatican Museums. Between heaven and earth". By spending just an hour of your time, you will find out whose works are kept in the Vatican Museums, and about the papacy that created them. At the same time, the film is about ourselves. Will be shown best works Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto di Bondone, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Vincent Van Gogh, Marc Chagall, Lucio Fontana, Salvador Dali.
It is safe to say that this exhibition is the largest ever last years and an unprecedented international project of the Tretyakov Gallery.
At the opening of the exhibition “Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca” was personally delivered by the President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello. He noted that some of the works that visitors to the Tretyakov Gallery can see have never left the Vatican Museums until now.
Moscow has never seen such an exhibition before. IN Tretyakov Gallery brought 42 canvases from the Vatican Pinakothek. And, according to the deputy director Vatican Museum Barbara Yatta, this amounted to 10% of the collection that is exhibited in the Vatican Museum.
The idea to hold such an exhibition arose several years ago. And, as the director said Tretyakov Gallery Zelfira Tregulova, it came from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis.
“The idea was to present two exhibitions in Russia and the Vatican. The collection of the Vatican Museums will be shown in Moscow, and an exhibition from the collection Russian museums- in the Vatican. Since the Russian exhibition was composed of 90% of the works included in the collection Tretyakov Gallery, then the exhibition from the Vatican should logically open within these walls,” Tregulova explained the choice of location for the exhibition. She also noted that this exhibition might not have happened.
Melozzo degli Ambrosi. "Angel Playing the Viola"
The Vatican was initially supposed to provide funds for the expensive museum project. But in last moment It was decided to donate the money to help children from Syria. Then entrepreneur Alisher Usmanov came to the rescue. In his foundation "Art, Science and Sports" They do not name the amount spent on the exhibition, but note that this is not the first supported museum project for Usmanov. Prior to this, the billionaire sponsored exhibitions of William Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites in Pushkin Museum im. A. S. Pushkina, as well as expositions "Whistler and Russia" V Tretyakov Gallery.
For the sake of the exhibition "Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca. Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio" some paintings were abandoned Pinakothek first. And paintings in such quantities had never been taken out of the Vatican Museums before either. In three halls Tretyakov Gallery settled down paintings, created from the 12th to the 18th centuries. “We are convinced that for a world that is becoming increasingly polarized and increasingly torn apart by conflicts, art, especially with religious themes, offers hope,” said Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the governorate of the Vatican City State, who arrived in Moscow.
Exhibition curator Arkady Ippolitov noted that for obvious reasons, bringing frescoes to Moscow "Sistine Chapel" and Raphael's Stanzas was impossible. But otherwise, “masterpieces, super-masterpieces and even super-super-masterpieces” came to Moscow. The first hall of the exhibition opens with a rare icon "Christ the Blesser" XII century, which is an analogy of ancient Russian images of the Savior Almighty. And next to it is a painting "Saint Francis of Assisi" Margaritone d'Arezzo, included in all art history textbooks. This is one of the earliest images of the saint, made after his canonization in 1228. And it was his name that the current pontiff chose.
Icon "Christ the Blesser" and Margaritone d'Arezzo "Saint Francis of Assisi"
press service of the Tretyakov Gallery
Exhibition in Tretyakov Gallery decorated symbolically - in the form of a circle reminiscent of St. Peter's Square. “Everything in the project was thought out, right down to the color of the walls - so typical of Rome and at the same time appealing to the halls of the Vatican,” noted Arkady Ippolitov. And the words were included in the title Roma Aeterna- “eternal Rome”. Celebration eternal city consists of his masterpieces.
Hurry! Sales began two days ago, and tickets for all weekends in December are already sold out.
Exhibition “Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca, Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio” will take place thanks to the Vatican Museums, from whose collections dozens of works were delivered to Moscow. It will last until the end of February.
This is a unique situation when the Vatican Museums provide 40 (!) works for an exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery, TASS quotes museum director Zelfira Tregulova. - Never before have they produced work of this level and in such quantity.
Giovanni Bellini, Guercino, Pietro Perugino, Raphael Santi, Guido Reni, Caravaggio... The future exhibition will become one of the largest events in the museum world, not only in Russia, but also in Europe.
The ticket sales scheme is the same as for the Ivan Aivazovsky exhibition. Counterbrands can be purchased both on the gallery website and at the box office only for a certain date and for a certain session.
We tested this system for the first time during the Aivazovsky exhibition,” the Tretyakov press service told KP. - And it completely justified itself, since people could plan their visit in advance. This is convenient and saves the museum from long queues. And if someone wants to go to the “Masterpieces of the Vatican” exhibition, then they need to take care of it now.
HOW TO BUY A TICKET?
To do this you need:
1. Go to the Tretyakov Gallery website
2. Click the “Online Tickets” button, select the exhibition “Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinacoteca, Bellini, Raphael, Caravaggio.”
3. Select month, date and time. And also the number of tickets. Maximum per order - 6 pieces.
4. Enter your e-mail, to which the code will be sent. It must be entered to confirm the order. And also indicate the full name of the visitor for whom the electronic order is placed, and mobile phone number.
5. Payment for the ticket within two hours. Unpaid electronic orders will be cancelled.
6. After payment, a letter with the order number and an electronic ticket with the status “paid” will be sent to the previously specified e-mail. The ticket can be printed at home or saved on your smartphone to present when entering the gallery.
7. E-ticket you will not need to change to paper at the terminal. A separate queue will be organized for those who bought a ticket online - an employee with a validator will quickly read the barcode and let you in.
IMPORTANT!
Visitors will be able to enter the exhibition strictly at the time indicated on the ticket - within 30 minutes. Latecomers will only be allowed in if you can prove that the reason for the delay is valid.
WHAT IS THE ENTRANCE?
500 rubles - for Russian citizens and foreigners.
150 rubles - for students, pensioners, heroes Soviet Union, heroes of Russia, Full Knights of the “Order of Glory”, students of secondary and secondary specialized educational institutions.
Free - for veterans and disabled people of the Second World War, combatants (citizens of Russia and CIS countries), for children under 18 years old and others preferential categories. But purchasing such a ticket is only possible in conjunction with a paid ticket. Visitors at the control must present documents confirming the benefit.
The Vatican Museums brought the best part of their collection to Russia - 42 paintings XII-XVIII centuries. These are works by Giovanni Bellini, Melozzo da Forli, Perugino, Raphael, Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Guercino, Nicolas Poussin.
“Never before have the Vatican Museums exported such a significant number of outstanding works from the permanent exhibition outside their borders at the same time, so the exhibition will become an event not only for Russia and Europe, but also for the whole world,” said the general director of the museum, Zelfira Tregulova, earlier.
Giovanni Bellini. Lamentation of Christ with Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and Mary Magdalene. Around 1471-1474
Wood, oil. 107×84 cm. Vatican Museums.
Photo: Vatican Museums
The exhibition opens with the image of “Christ Blessing” from the 12th century, which has never previously been exhibited in temporary exhibitions or left the Vatican. Next chronologically work in progress Margaritone d’Arezzo “Saint Francis of Assisi” from the 13th century.
Visitors will then be able to see Pietro Lorenzetti's Jesus Before Pilate, predella telling stories from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Frescoes depicting angels by Melozzo da Forli are separately exhibited. The paintings by this artist were removed from the apse dome during the rebuilding of the Church of Santi Apostoli in Rome.
Two paintings date back to the heyday of the Renaissance: “The Miracles of Saint Vincenzo Ferrer” by Ercole de Roberti, one of the most interesting works by the greatest master of the Ferrara school, and “The Lamentation” by the Venetian Giovanni Bellini. There are no works of both in Russia. The High Renaissance, that is, the 16th century, is represented by the masterpieces of Perugino, Raphael, Correggio and Paolo Veronese.
Papal Rome reached its greatest power in the 17th century, during the Baroque era, and papal collections represent the painting of this particular century most fully and brilliantly. The masterpiece of this time at the exhibition is “Entombment” by Caravaggio. Nicolas Poussin's altarpiece "The Martyrdom of St. Erasmus", the artist's largest work, was painted specifically for St. Peter's Basilica. This work was one of the most famous paintings of the cathedral and was admired by many Russian artists living in Rome.
Guido Reni. Saint Matthew and the angel. Around 1620
Canvas, oil. 85×68 cm. Photo: Vatican Museums
The Baroque era also includes works by Caravaggists and artists of the Bolognese school (Lodovico Carracci, Guido Reni, Guercino), beautifully represented in the papal collections.
The exhibition ends with a series of paintings from the 18th century, essentially the last century in which the papacy played a state role. This series by Bolognese Donato Creti is dedicated to astronomical observations and logically completes the history of Lo Stato Pontificio, the Papal States that soon ceased to exist and turned into the Vatican, Lo Stato della Città del Vaticano.
The gallery's press service reported that all tickets for December have now been sold out. A new batch of tickets will go on sale only in the middle of the month. Visitors will enter the halls every half hour, and the time during which they can stay at the exhibition is not limited.
