“After more than a year of negotiations,” said Minister Alessandro Giuli, “we announce today the purchase by the Ministry of Culture of an extraordinary masterpiece by Caravaggio, the ’Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini.’ This is a work of exceptional importance, attributed to the Master by Roberto Longhi, which is now offered for the full enjoyment of the public and the international scientific community, just a few months after its first exhibition in a museum, which took place at Palazzo Barberini. This acquisition, together with the recent acquisition of Antonello da Messina’s ’Ecce Homo,’ is part of a broader project to strengthen the national cultural heritage that the Ministry of Culture will continue to pursue in the coming months, with the aim of making accessible to scholars and enthusiasts some masterpieces of art history otherwise destined for the private market. I would like to thank all the institutions, officials and technicians who worked with great skill and dedication so that a result of this significance could be achieved.”

The famous city views of Giovanni Antonio Canal (better known as Canaletto) and his nephew Bernardo Bellotto (who often called himself Canaletto as well, to emphasize his connection to his celebrated uncle) take centre stage in the upcoming exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. With the help of optical devices, such as the camera obscura, these two Venetian painters surveyed European cities with scientific precision, yet creatively transformed what they saw into grand pictorial scenes.

Both artists painted spectacular views of their hometown, Venice, but they both left the lagoon city to pursue their careers abroad: Canaletto moved to London, while Bellotto worked in Dresden and Vienna.  

Featuring major international loans – many of which have never before been exhibited in Austria – the exhibition invites you to rediscover the eighteenth-century city and two artists whose careers mirror a Europe shaped by mobility, war, and uncertainty.

At the center of the research are thirteen portraits—nine by Rosalba and four attributed to her school—executed in pastel on blue paper. These notably fragile and delicate materials make any type of conservation treatment particularly complex.

To address this challenge, the Accademia is undertaking a comprehensive program of investigations to determine how to best safeguard and treat these remarkable pieces. The results of the research will guide the conservation of Rosalba’s pastels in Venice and provide an opportunity for discussion and comparison for other museum institutions and restorers who may face similar issues.

Support from Save Venice makes this work possible, funding the scientific analysis, the acquisition of a new ER-FTIR Spectrometer, the involvement of three young researchers specialized in conservation chemistry and diagnostics, and consultation with leading pastel conservators from the U.K. and Switzerland.

A plot of land, a relaxing retreat, a formal landscape, a place of constant labor: gardens can carry a range of associations, especially in the world of art. “Framing Nature: Gardens and Imagination” brings together art from across the MFA’s global collection to explore striking similarities and differences across time and place.

Visitors can see both beloved favorites and previously unseen masterpieces, all centering the garden as a fertile place for human creativity and imaginative possibility. Works ranging from wall-sized tapestries and intricately detailed Chinese scrolls give the illusion of garden spaces. Modern and contemporary prints, drawings, photographs, and paintings bring visitors on an immersive journey through a variety of cultivated and natural worlds. Visitors can look at how we relate to the outdoors, shape garden spaces through cultivation, care, and labor, and express this universal human impulse through art.

All the newly produced scans are presented with precise color accuracy and exceptionally high fidelity and can be explored on The Met’s website, where viewers can zoom in, rotate, and examine each model, bringing unprecedented access to significant works of art. The 3D models can also be explored in viewers’ own spaces through augmented reality (AR) on most smartphone and VR headsets, as a resource for research, exploration, and curiosity. A majority of the models are available for free download and use under The Met’s Open Access program and CC0 license. [...]

Nine of the newly produced models were made in collaboration with NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) as part of the public broadcaster’s initiative to produce ultra-high definition 3D computer graphics of national treasures and other important artworks. Using portable laser scanning systems combined with camera-based photogrammetry techniques, NHK worked alongside The Met’s Imaging Department to digitize monumental works of art. These include Vincent Van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Cypresses (1889); armor that belonged to Henry II, King of France (ca. 1555); Antonio Canova’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa (1804–6); a pair of screens, Amusements at Higashiyama in Kyoto (ca. 1620s); and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s Ugolino and His Sons (1865–67), many of which cannot be moved from their galleries for traditional imaging. The Met and NHK are now exploring further educational programming and potential content using these cutting-edge, best-in class models.

- Nearly a third of Historic Houses member places are yet to recover to pre-pandemic revenue, and visitor numbers remain below 2019 figures. 

- Rising employment costs are forcing owners to cut back, choking off new jobs and opportunities in rural economies. 

- The cost of doing business continues to grow year on year, as new tax burdens hit home and insurance premiums escalate in value.

- A complex and inflexible planning system continues to obstruct sensible development, including essential upgrades to improve energy efficiency in historic buildings. 

Giovanni Baglione in his Lives of 1642 describes her as a woman educated to independence and from a very young age introduced by her father to painting and humanistic studies and deeply attached to her father. The painting was commissioned from her by Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Guido di Bagno and is inspired by the composition of the same title painted in 1621 by her father at the behest of Maffeo Barberini, the future Pope Urban VIII, which is now preserved at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Another highlight is a recently rediscovered signed portrait by Lavinia Fontana, one of the earliest professional female painters in Europe. Trained in Bologna by her father Prospero Fontana, she established herself by the late 1570s as one of the city’s leading portraitists, supporting a large family through her practice before relocating to Rome at the invitation of Pope Clement VIII. The sitter, Isabella Ruini Angelelli, a Bolognese noblewoman known for her beauty and intellect, sat for Fontana on at least three other occasions, including Venus and Cupid (1592, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen) and Portrait of Isabella Ruini Angelelli (1593, Palazzo Pitti, Florence). The present work expands the oeuvre of one of the most significant women painters of the late sixteenth century and further illuminates Fontana’s elite Bolognese clientele and her role within the city’s aristocratic circles.

We are seeking a highly experienced and enthusiastic Senior Picture Researcher to work in our small, dedicated Publishing team overseeing picture research for National Gallery Global’s publications and merchandise. This unique role will also involve liaison with key National Gallery departments including Communications, Exhibitions and Digital, to facilitate clearance of exhibition loan images where required.

Reporting to the Publisher, the successful candidate will have extensive experience in picture research, ideally in a museum or gallery context, a high level of commercial focus, excellent negotiating skills and good knowledge of copyright law. Educated to degree level or equivalent, you will also have a keen interest in European art and excellent communication and IT skills.

These Scholarships have supported the studies of graduate students in MA, MPhil and PhD programmes across the globe, with the aim of contributing to their academic and professional development. The Scholarship recipient will also be awarded a paid internship at The Klesch Collection lasting a minimum of 6 weeks, allowing them to gain experience in the daily operations of a private art collection. Candidates will be selected based on merit and the overall quality of the application.

Who can apply?

Applicants must have been accepted into a full-time Art History MA or PhD course of study worldwide, beginning the next academic year, and preference will be given to applicants who have completed their undergraduate degree in Art History. PhD students are welcome to apply for any year in their programme. Applications will be considered only from students who will focus/are focusing their studies on European and British painting of the Renaissance and Baroque periods (c. 1400–1700) and who intend to write their thesis or dissertation in this area.

For many decades, technical research into Rembrandt’s paintings has provided invaluable insights into his materials, techniques, and creative process. Through the combined efforts of art historians, conservators, and scientists, a steadily growing body of knowledge has transformed our understanding of his practice. Recent advances in imaging technologies and material analysis have further deepened this perspective, revealing new facets of Rembrandt’s working methods and shedding fresh light on his artistic innovations. Through fascinating case studies and in-depth investigations, the symposium will reflect on the interaction between art historians, conservators and scientists, highlighting the research methodologies employed to unravel complex art historical and scientific questions.

The ‘New Directions in Rembrandt Research’ symposium, which will consist of a full day of lectures from art historians, conservators and scientists, has been conceived and curated by Petria Noble. Recently retired from the Rijksmuseum, her contributions to Rembrandt studies, together with those of colleagues she has worked with over the years, have helped shape new directions in the field.

This year's exhibition at Turner's House in St. Margarets, near Richmond, London, “Unfinished Business: The Mystery of Margate and Turner’s Bequest” will give visitors the opportunity to see an extraordinary sea painting by one of Britain's greatest maritime artists, displayed within the house he designed and had built in Twickenham by 1813. Sandycombe Lodge, as he called it, was his country retreat from the rigors of the London art world. On loan from the National Gallery, London, Margate (?), from the Sea, one of his later works from circa 1835-1840, will be the focus of an exhibition that uncovers the complex and fascinating story of the Turner Bequest, and reveal how attitudes to Turner's work changed across the centuries. [...]

The Turner Bequest included a large group of paintings that Turner had never exhibited and were deemed unfinished. This included Margate (?), from the Sea. Those paintings were judged during the 19th century as unfit for display. Along with many other works of a similar nature, it was left uncatalogued, without a title and remained hidden away for over 50 years. It wasn't until 1905 that the picture was reassessed and accessioned into the national collection. A.J. Finberg provided the name, when inventorying the Turner Bequest and Martin Davies, later Director of the National Gallery (1968-73), added the question mark, calling the identification of the subject matter into question.

Raphael’s fireplace fresco for Pope Julius II rediscovered - By Carmen C. Bambach

A Du Cerceau album at Harvard - By Dario Donetti

The possible origins of Velázquez’s ‘Christ after the Flagellation contemplated by the Christian soul’ - By Kevin Ingram

Pre-Raphaelites beyond England:the work of Gustave-Max Stevens - By Laura Fanti

René Lalique: the artist as curator - By Vera Mariz

We are looking to recruit a Curatorial Assistant who will work alongside the Director, Exhibitions Manager and the Assistant Curators in planning, managing and delivering our vibrant and engaging collections and exhibition programme.