A Caravaggio from Palazzo Barberini flew to Minneapolis and in exchange, in Rome, arrived The Death of Germanicus by Nicholas Poussin which has long been part of the collections of the Barberini family.
The exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, opening this weekend, has at its center the iconic 1599 painting inspired by the biblical story of Judith and Holofernes.
"It is a common subject in the art of the time, but in this painting the heroine of the Bible is stopped in the act of beheading the Assyrian general", Rachel McGarry, who curated the exhibition in which the painting is accompanied by 14 other works over a span of 500 years that explore the different interpretations given to the figure of Judith by artists such as Barthel Beham, Ludovico Carracci, Ignazio Collino and Lovis Corinth.
It is a rare opportunity to see a painting by Caravaggio in the United States: there are only ten of them, of which nine are in public collections.
The loan of Judith and Holofernes reflects the strong institutional relationship of the Minneapolis Museum of Art with museums and galleries in Italy which, among other things, last year gave life to an exhibition of works by Botticelli from the Uffizi.
In exchange for Caravaggio, the museum has sent Poussin to Rome, on the occasion of the exhibition on Maffeo Barberini, which 400 years ago became pope under the name of Urbano Ottavo.
The painting, originally commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Barberini, nephew of the pope-patron of the arts, remained with descendants of the family until 1958 when the museum acquired it.
"The collaboration with Palazzo Barberini brings to light exceptional works of art, but also the legacy of a family of extraordinary patrons," said Mia director Katie Luber.
It took two years of contacts to materialize the loans: Poussin - recalls McGarry - had so far recrossed the Atlantic only once, in 1994, for the great exhibition organized at the Grand Palais in Paris on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the birth of the 'artist.
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