Baroque Pathways The National Galleries Barberini Corsini in Rome

"Maffeo Barberini was elected Pope Urban VIII in 1623. He turned Rome into the baroque capital that we know today. Saint Peter's Cathedral was completed and consecrated during his pontificate. Streets and squares were created that still define the city's image. The erudite Pope Urban VIII had Caravaggio paint his portrait as a young man and sponsored him, as well as many artists who were influenced by him. The Palazzo Barberini in Rome is home to one of the most important collections of Roman baroque painting. The catalogue to the exhibition 'Baroque Pathways' shows a representative selection of these paintings. It traces the story of the creation of Roman baroque painting as inspired by Caravaggio and follows its expansion throughout Europe, to the north of the Alps just as in Naples. It covers the entire spectrum from the Barberini as patrons of the arts to the Prussian kings' admiration of all things Italian. The Barberini Museum is named after the Barberini Palace, which Frederick the Great had built in Potsdam. It was destroyed in World War II but rebuilt between 2013 and 2016 by the Hasso Plattner Foundation, conceived as a modern museum building. The Prussian King desired an Italian Piazza in Potsdam and so based the building on a copperplate engraving of the Palazzo Barberini in Rome by Piranesi. With this reference to the 'pope of the arts, ' Frederick demonstrated his desire to be regarded as a great collector and connoisseur of art too."--