Bernini Exhibition in Rome: The Unmissable Exhibition at Palazzo Barberini

Bernini on display in Rome: the exhibition

If you are in Rome, you must not miss the exhibition Bernini and the Barberinis in Rome.
The exhibition Bernini and the Barberinis in Rome is one of the most anticipated cultural events of 2026.
An exhibition not to be missed for those who love ancient art.

From February 12 to June 14, 2026, Palazzo Barberini hosts Bernini and the Barberinis.
The exhibition is dedicated to Bernini’s work during the papacy of Urban VIII and his relationship with the Barberini family.

The exhibition coincides with the four-hundredth anniversary of the consecration of the new Basilica of St. Peter (1626), one of the high points of Roman Baroque and Bernini’s activity.

The focus of the exhibition is the investigation of Maffeo Barberini’s role as the true discoverer of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a recognition already highlighted by scholars such as Cesare D’Onofrio, Francis Haskell, and Irving Lavin, and crucial for the maturation of Bernini’s language and the grand monumental works created in St. Peter’s during Urban VIII’s papacy. 

The exhibition demonstrates how the affirmation of Baroque is not merely the result of a generic stylistic evolution, but the outcome of a concrete and privileged relationship between artist and patron.

The journey opens with the comparison between father and son: Pietro Bernini and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. In particular, the Saint Sebastian Barberini marks a decisive transition between the sensual rendering of marble and the direct involvement of the viewer, anticipating a new conception of sculpture.

Works and masterpieces on display

More than 70 works on display including sculptures, drawings, models, and engravings. The centerpiece of the journey is the Baldachin of St. Peter: the work is the perfect fusion of architecture, sculpture, and decoration.

Of great value is the section dedicated to papal portraits, starting from Paul V Borghese to the busts of Urban VIII created in marble and bronze. Finally, in the last section, two rarely exhibited busts, but of extraordinary beauty: that of Thomas Baker (Victoria & Albert Museum, London) and Costanza Bonarelli (Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence).

The exhibition has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of numerous international museums and their loans, including: National Gallery London, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, National Gallery of Washington, The Morgan Library New York and many others.

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