After you’ve been on one of our Rome Tours, make the most of your visit and check out these exhibitions. The permanent displays at the Vatican Museums and the Capitoline Museums are unmissable, but there are also some excellent temporary exhibitions at these museums and galleries.
War, Capitalism & Liberty - Palazzo Cipolla (until 4 September)
150 works by the elusive British graffiti artist Banksy are on display at Palazzo Cipolla, Via del Corso. It’s the biggest public exhibition of Banksy’s art, with works on loan from private collections around the world. Tickets: €13.50
Alphonse Mucha - Complesso del Vittoriano (until 11 September)
After spending a few days immersed in Italian Renaissance art, you might find it refreshing to pay a visit to the Complesso del Vittoriano in Piazza Venezia, where there’s a large exhibition dedicated to the Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha. The exhibition features an overview of his early work, as well as posters depicting his muse, Sarah Bernhardt, and his advertisements for products such as chocolate and perfume. Tickets: €12
La Misericordia nell’arte - Capitoline Museums (until 27 November)
In addition to the famous Roman statues you’ll see on our Capitoline Museums tour, you can see various Christian works on the subject of mercy, in a temporary exhibition designed to coincidence with the Holy Jubilee of Mercy. Works on display include paintings by Guido Reni and Jacopo Bertoia, as well as a bas-relief by Pietro Bernini, the father of the more famous Gian Lorenzo. Tickets: €15 (included with admission to Capitoline Museums)
I Macchiaioli - Chiostro del Bramante (until 4 September)
The Macchiaioli were a group of Italian painters active in late 19th century Tuscany. The works of artists such as Signorini, Zandomeneghi and Fattori are similar in style to Impressionist paintings, as they attempt to capture natural light and colours. Many of these paintings have been hidden away in private collections for years, and the exhibition at Chiostro del Bramante (near Piazza Navona) is a fantastic introduction to the works of these painters, who deserve to be better known. Tickets: €13
Roma Anni Trenta - La Galleria d’Arte Moderna (until 30 October)
This exhibition at Rome’s Gallery of Modern Art focuses on the Quadriennali - art exhibitions in Rome in the 1930s, which showcased the work of established Italian artists as well as some up-and-coming new talents. Mussolini wanted to make Rome a centre of culture and art, and it was a time of intense interest in contemporary Italian art. Roma Anni Trenta is ideal for those who want to understand 20th century Italian art within the context of fascism. Tickets: €7.50
Gomez: Nox Omnibus Lucet - Galleria Varsi (until 14 July)
Gomez is a young Rome-based artist inspired by the chiaroscuro of Baroque painting. He began his career as a street artist, and this exhibition at Galleria Varsi (near Campo de’ Fiori) is his first solo exhibition. You can see the influence of Caravaggio in his works, and Gomez is also inspired by “what transpires from the human soul in the instants in which right emerges from wrong, and good from evil.” Free entrance
New masterpieces at Centrale Montemartini (permanent) The criminally underrated Centrale Montemartini has some new masterpieces on display. Housed in a power plant on Via Ostiense, this unusual museum forms part of the Capitoline Museums, and has an impressive collection of Roman art. New additions include a 2nd century mosaic depicting the Rape of Proserpine, and a striking bust of Agrippina (wife of Claudius and mother of Nero), on loan from Copenhagen until January 2017. Tickets: €7.50
