Caravaggio / Bernini
Rijksmuseum, 2020
'Caravaggio-Bernini. Baroque in Rome' is an exhibition of more than 70 masterpieces by Caravaggio, Bernini and their contemporaries such as: Ludovico and Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni, Stefano Maderno, Artemisia Gentileschi, Bartolomeo Manfredi among others.
The show explores the beginnings of European baroque, the revolutionary works of the painter Caravaggio and the sculptor Bernini and the tremendous impact in a generation of artists. The exhibition design curated by Formafantasma rethinks how these masters have been often presented, choosing to emphasize the contemporary and radical qualities of their works.
Dark environments with dramatic lighting are the usual design choices for the presentation of the works of the two Baroque Masters. The idea is to emphasize or even imitate with the exhibition design the sculptural qualities of the works of Bernini and the idiosyncratic lights on Caravaggio's paintings.
Formafantasma believes it is more important to create an environment that by contrast, highlights the artefacts' innovations on display. The exhibition design uses a contemporary selection of nuances impossible to be achieved at the time when the artists were working.
Paintings and sculptures are presented over 1000 m2 and against large panels covered with textile. Plinths are often hung on partitions. The monumental spaces of the Rijksmuseum1 are left bare with uniform lighting. The use of the coloured panels works as a functional element. The often dark paintings are surrounded with softer colours so to tone down the contrast with the bright white walls. For the textile panels, Formafantasma selected ten different fabrics with the renewed textile brand Kvadrat2.
