Chengdu - On July 27, the M Woods Museum in Chengdu inaugurated the exhibition "Caravaggio: Eternal Ecstasy," organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Beijing and the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing, with the support of the Italian Embassy in China. The exhibition features Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s "Magdalene in Ecstasy" and offers a detailed presentation of the diagnostic, restoration, and conservation stages, curated by Italian restorer Cinzia Pasquali.

The painting, "Magdalene in Ecstasy (Maddalena Gregori), c. 1610, oil on canvas 107.5×98 cm," created by Caravaggio in the last years of his life before his death in 1610, serves as a cornerstone for an in-depth examination of the methodologies and practices used in the restoration, conservation, and preservation of artistic masterpieces. The painting, which has just completed its display at the Genghis Khan Museum in Ulan Bator organized by the Italian Embassy in Mongolia, aims to introduce the Chinese public to one of the most innovative masters in the history of art, a key figure in naturalism and a precursor of the Baroque, while also highlighting Italian excellence in the field of cultural heritage restoration and conservation.

During the exhibition period, seminars, educational workshops, and film screenings will be organized to promote the most advanced techniques and technologies in the restoration and conservation of Italian cultural heritage in China. This tradition, as Federico Roberto Antonelli, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Beijing, noted, is already well-known in China thanks to the projects carried out over the years by Italian cooperation in this specific field. The inauguration ceremony featured a concert by mezzo-soprano Valentina Volpe Andreazza and speeches by the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Beijing and Adriana Lori, Consul of the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing. Lori emphasized the importance of cooperation in the conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage between Italy and Southwestern China, recalling the extensive range of projects completed since the establishment of the Consulate General in Chongqing ten years ago. The exhibition will remain open to the public until October 27, 2024, before moving to a prestigious second venue in Beijing starting in November. (9colonne)