(Finance) – It was inaugurated this morning from the Intesa Sanpaolo Group the new exhibition “Galleries of Italy – Naples”at the historical and monumental building of the former Banco di Napolidesigned by the architect Marcello Piacentini, in via Toledo 177.
Thanks to the restyling by Michele De Lucchi – AMDL Circle, the exhibition spaces of Zevallos Stigliano Palacereaching ten thousand square meters, with one architectural redevelopment of great impact that updates the building, aligning it with the best international standards for museum buildings, without however distorting its historical value.
The exhibition consists of one selection of Neapolitan and southern style paintings and sculpturesexhibited on the first floor, ranging from the early seventeenth to the first decades of the twentieth century, starting with the masterpiece of the collection Intesa Sanpaolothe Martyrdom of Saint Ursula by Caravaggio. On the second floor you will be able to admire a selection of Attic and Magna Graecia pottery and new itineraries ofmodern and contemporary art.
The inaugural exhibition of the Gallerie d’Italia – Naples will be the final exhibition of the XIX edition of Restituzionithe two-year program to safeguard and enhance the national artistic heritage that Intesa Sanpaolo has been conducting for over thirty years in
collaboration with the Ministry of Culture.
“Intesa Sanpaolo is pleased to open the doors of the new headquarters of the Gallerie d’Italia in Naples, providing the community with an international museum that consolidates the bank’s bond with this magnificent city”, declared the President Emeritus Giovanni Bazolirecalling the “strong commitment” of the bank for the cultural and social growth of the country. “The new museum in via Toledo adds a space of art and beauty to the extraordinary historical and artistic heritage of Naples. Bazoli underlined – in full harmony with the current phase of great planning of the city, which has an important engine of change in culture and rebirth “.
Gian Maria Gros-PietroPresident of Intesa Sanpaolo, underlined “Intesa Sanpaolo’s commitment to culture aims to affect the community fabric of a symbolic city of our Group with new intellectual stimuli, strengthening its economic and social progress”.
Satisfied the Minister of Culture Dario Franceschiniwho wanted to emphasize the Restituzioni project, underlining that “it enriches the Galleries with works of great value and significance, combining the conservation of the artistic heritage with great attention to the future”.
The Mayor of Naples Gaetano Manfredi he stated that the opening of the new exhibition in “represents for Naples and for the whole of the South an extraordinary piece that enriches the enormous artistic and cultural heritage of our territory”.
The inauguration of the Neapolitan museum is added to that of new headquarters in Turin, open to the public on May 17th. A double date that leads back to four the number of museums open Galleries of Italy – Milan, Naples, Turin and Vicenza – and represents a fundamental step taken by Intesa Sanpaolo in the promotion of culture in Italy and in the enhancement of its artistic heritage made up of over 35 thousand owned works of art, whose economic value has been entered at fair value in the financial statements since 2017.
The Business Plan 2022-2025 recently presented by the Chief Executive Officer and CEO Carlo Messina strengthens the Group’s commitment to culture with enlargement of the other two museums of the Bank a Milan and Vicenzaleading by 2025 to the doubling of the overall exhibition spaces of the Gallerie d’Italia – from 14,200 square meters to 30,000 square meters – and consolidating the Group’s position among the leading private cultural operators at an international level in terms of reputation, commitment and size, quality and financial value of the collection.