Exhibition in Milan: From the Medici to the Rothschilds in a bank
So what happened? Until now, the Gallerie d’Italia, dependent on the Banca Intesa Sanpaolo, formed the most recommendable place of exhibitions in Milan. The public was sure to see not only magnificent works, but to discover an intelligent subject. It takes me to cite the Canova-Thorvaldsen duo, acclaimed in 2019 by sufficient criticism as the best presentation of the year. Or in 2021 the layout designed in this huge disused bank from the 1880s, located just next to La Scala, of antique marbles extracted from the huge Tolornia collection. I spoke to you glowingly of both.
As the last presentation of 2022 and the first of 2023, the Gallerie d’Italia have chosen a puzzling theme. It is that of the “patron, collectors and philanthropists”, who are, as it happens, at the origin of the bankers. To believe that the financial constituents ask for benefactors of humanity… The route goes according to the poster “from the Medici to the Rothschilds”, which bodes well, however, given the quality of the groups formed by these two families. After all why not ? Such disillusion was therefore unpredictable. It begins however from the beginning of the journey, even if the former bank still appears as beautiful with its decoration of marbles and bronzes with a somewhat funereal richness.
So what’s inside? But far too many people, precisely! The Medici occupy a kind of sentry box built in the center of the great hall. These masters of Florence are represented by a few often minor works. The most amusing here remains the vast canvas by Amos Cassioli (1832-1891) representing the court of Lorenzo the Magnificent as it was imagined in the 19th century. Divided into stalls, the route continues with the Giustiniani (Vincenzo, in particular), who were the protectors of Caravaggio. The thing is worth to the visitor a Veronese, a Hannibal Carracci or a superb Gerrit van Honthorst from London. The spotlight then shines on Everhard Jabach, a German banker who had to sell his collections to Lois XIV. The Louvre has suddenly lent a beautiful series of drawings without stripping itself.
So far, not everything is going too badly. But the exhibition will go “decrescendo”. The visitor thus passes from the Austrian business brewer Moritz von Fries to Tolornia or John Pierpont Morgan (1), then to ever more obscure bankers who have exercised their talents (or their lack of talent) on the side of Milan. The lowest point is thus reached in the “final” with Raffaele Mattiotti. The man has certainly acquired a small Boldini, a mini Morandi or a beautiful landscape by Caspar van Wittel. His only merit seems to me, however, to have been the assumed direction of the Banca Commerciale d’Italia. The place where we are precisely at this moment. The mise en abyme indeed ends in an abyss. What interest for the public today? And what good is such a luxurious staging and such neat lighting to finally show this? Let’s hope that the Gallerie d’Italia, which also has a headquarters in Vicenza, one in Naples and a more recent one in Turin, will be able to recover from this bad situation.
(1) The Rothschilds are curiously represented by their Viennese branch, largely despoiled in 1938 by the Nazis. Hence the presence of a magnificent Butcher from the Thyssen Collection.
Convenient
“Dai Medici ai Rothschild, Mecenati, collezionisti, filantropi”, Gallerie d’Italia, 6, piazza Scala, Milan, until March 26. Such. 0039 800 167 619, website www.gallerieditalia.com Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Thursday until 10:30 p.m.
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– From the Medici to the Rothschilds in a bank
The Gallerie d’Italia, which generally have a lucky hand, failed with this course dedicated to collecting and banking patronage.