Madonna di Alzano by Giovanni Bellini part of the Ospite Illustre (Illustrious Guest) series at the Intesa Sanpaolo Skyscraper In Turin

PRESS RELEASE

MADONNA DI ALZANO BY GIOVANNI BELLINI PART OF THE OSPITE ILLUSTRE (ILLUSTRIOUS GUEST) SERIES AT THE INTESA SANPAOLO SKYSCRAPER IN TURIN

An important artwork on loan from the Accademia Carrara of Bergamo, onone of the rare occasions it has left the museum

From 20 December 2019 to 6 January 2020, a new reason to visit the top of the skyscraper

Turin, 20 December 2019 - From today until 6 January 2020, the 36th floor of the Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper in Turin will host a true masterpiece by Giovanni Bellini, one of the most famous Renaissance artists: his Madonna con il Bambino (Madonna and Child), also known as Madonna di Alzano, of the Accademia Carrara of Bergamo (c.1487). This edition’s Illustrious Guest is a painting that has left its home very rarely, due to its extraordinary quality. Admission is free of charge but bookings are required, with bookings made on the website www.grattacielointesasanpaolo.com/news.

The display of the painting in Turin is closely linked to the exhibition dedicated to Andrea Mantegna currently held in this city, and traces the family and artistic connections between the two maestros, who were both brothers-in-law and friends. The exhibition in Palazzo Madama (until 4 May), co-organised and sponsored by Intesa Sanpaolo, comprises some important loans which also come from the Accademia Carrara including the Resurrection of Christ. This work was the subject of an extraordinary process of attribution in 2018, having been believed for centuries to be a copy but now confirmed as the work of Mantegna.

“The display of an Illustrious Guest during the Christmas holiday period has now become a tradition, eagerly-awaited by visitors, confirming the skyscraper’s status as an open and inclusive venue, a driving force of cultural initiatives for the city. The featured work, Bellini’s masterpiece - Madonna di Alzano - operates in synthesis with the Andrea Mantegna exhibition which was recently inaugurated in Palazzo Madama and for which we are co-organisers. Thus Intesa Sanpaolo succeeds in offering the city cultural initiatives that are both linear and coherent” commented Gian Maria Gros-Pietro, Chairman of Intesa Sanpaolo.

“The Accademia Carrara was delighted to accept Intesa Sanpaolo’s invitation to feature in this latest edition of the Illustrious Guest in Turin. We are happy not only to bring one of our masterpieces, Giovanni Bellini’s Madonna di Alzano, but also a part of our century-old history, marked by the generosity of many donors who have helped the Bergamo museum become a symbol and site of conservation for Italian art collections. In particular, Bellini’s painting joined the collection thanks to Giovanni Morelli, an art expert of the twentieth century recognised at European level. The painting is a good example of the Venetian artist’s greatness, in its pictorial perfection and intense sentiment, so much so that it was defined by Bernard Berenson as “one of the most beautiful paintings in Italy”, said Maria Cristina Rodeschini, director of the Accademia Carrara.

The painting dates from around 1487, in the middle of Bellini’s painting career when he adopted a soft and transparent style, consisting of figures with soft and glowing edges and light liquid strokes. Among the different interpretations of this theme, this painting of Madonna with Child stands out for its soft and calm tone, fostered by games of light and the clear countryside in the background. The intense and sweet gaze of the Virgin Mary is without that veil of sadness that marks other paintings tackling the same theme.

Bellini’s Madonna di Alzano is displayed at the twelfth edition of the Ospite Illustre series, the event which is curated and promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo, offering an important artwork on temporary loan from some of the most prestigious museums both in Italy and abroad. The event is held in the Bank’s exhibition venues - the Gallerie d’Italia in Milan, Naples and Vicenza, and the Turin skyscraper which is now also an Intesa Sanpaolo museum site.

The exhibition catalogue is published by Edizioni Gallerie d’Italia | Skira with texts by Caroline Campbell and Giovanni Valagussa.

For press material and images, click the following link: https://bit.ly/2Zb1qMs

Press information

Intesa Sanpaolo - Media Office for Institutional, Social and Cultural Activities

stampa@intesasanpaolo.com

www.intesasanpaolo.com/it/news

Captions

Giovanni Bellini

Venice circa 1430, Venice 1516

Madonna di Alzano

Circa 1487, tempera and oil on panel, cm. 84.3 x 65

Accademia Carrara, Bergamo

Legacy of Giovanni Morelli, 1891

Key information

Venue: Intesa Sanpaolo Skyscraper, Corso Inghilterra 3, Turin

Open to public: from 20 December 2019 to 6 January 2020

Opening hours:

3pm - 8pm on weekdays* and 1 January (last admission at 7.30pm);

9.30am - 8pm on Saturdays and holidays (last admission at 7.30pm);

9.30am - 1pm on 24 and 31 December (last admission at 12.30pm);

*20 December 2019, opening hours 4pm-8pm

The exhibition will remain closed on 25 December.

Free admission, booking required at www.grattacielointesasanpaolo.com/news

Intesa Sanpaolo

Intesa Sanpaolo is one of the soundest and most profitable banks in Europe. It offers commercial, corporate investment banking, savings, asset management and insurance services. It is the leading Bank in Italy, with approximately 12 million customers who are assisted through both digital and traditional channels. The Group's foreign banks have 7.2 million customers in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Intesa Sanpaolo is considered one of the most sustainable banks in the world.

For the Group, creating value means being a driver for growth for the benefit of both society and the economy. As regards the environment, Intesa Sanpaolo has created a 5-billion-euro fund for the circular economy. Intesa Sanpaolo supports major economic inclusion and poverty reduction projects, including an impact fund of 1.2 billion euro for loans available to social groups who struggle to access credit. Intesa Sanpaolo is actively involved in its own cultural activities and in collaboration with other entities in Italy and abroad, including permanent and temporary exhibitions of its vast artistic heritage at the Gallerie d'Italia, the Group's three museums located in Milan, Naples and Vicenza.

Last updated 20 December 2019 at 16:55