MILAN- Moroni (1521-1580) Il ritratto del suo tempo (Moroni (1521-1580) A portrait of his time) the exhibition, intends to celebrate the artist from Bergamo, one of the greatest interpreters of Lombard Renaissance painting. Having also painted significant devotional works, also on display in the exhibition, Moroni is, however, best known for his innovative work as a portrait artist.  Many of the artist's portraits on display here are labelled 'portraits in action', modern portrayals of people who, through a gesture or a glance, establish a connection with the spectator, bridging the emotional distance and static nature of official portraiture.

The Milanese exhibition, organised into nine sections, aims to offer a comprehensive image of the painter, starting from his first steps in Moretto's workshop and continuing through a comparison with other contemporary artists who were active in the Lombardy area, such as Lorenzo Lotto, Gerolamo Savoldo and Moretto. To create an exhibition that is as complete as possible, the paintings are placed side by side with works by Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto, establishing a dialogue with the artistic productions of the time, extending beyond the regional borders.

The works are on loan from prestigious organisations, including both important Italian institutions - such as the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo and the Fondazione Brescia Musei, which are also partners in the exhibition, the Uffizi Galleries, the Pinacoteca di Brera, and the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice - and important international institutions, such as The National Gallery in London, the Musée du Louvre, the Museo Nacional del Prado, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Gemäldegalerie - Staatliche Museen in Berlin, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The exhibition is curated by Arturo Galansino and Simone Facchinetti and is part of the initiatives undertaken as part of Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of Culture 2023.

Gallerie d'Italia - Milan. From December 6 2023 to April 1 2024

Giovanni Battista Moroni, Ritratto di Gian Gerolamo Grumelli (Il cavaliere in rosa), 1560. Collezione Lucretia Moroni. Foto Studio Da Re © 2021 FAI - Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano

Giovanni Battista Moroni, Ritratto di Isotta Brembati, circa 1554-1557. Collezione Lucretia Moroni. Foto Studio Da Re © 2021 FAI - Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano

Giovanni Battista Moroni, Ritratto di Antonio Navagero, Pinacoteca di Brera ©Pinacoteca di Brera, Milano

Giovanni Battista Moroni, Ritratto di gentiluomo (Il poeta sconosciuto), 1560. ©Archivio Fotografico Musei Civici di Brescia-Fotostudio Rapuzzi

Giovanni Battista Moroni, Portrait of Prospero Alessandri, around 1560. © The Princely Collections, Liechtenstein.