From November 22, 2025, to May 3, 2026, the Chiablese Rooms of the Musei Reali di Torino will celebrate the genius of Orazio Gentileschi (Pisa, 1563 – London, 1639), the undisputed master of 17th-century Italian art. An artist whose technical refinement and sensitivity to light earned him, even during his lifetime, a prestige equal to that of Caravaggio, Rubens, and Van Dyck: an international stature that the exhibition “Orazio Gentileschi. A painter on a journey” brings back to the forefront today.
Produced by the Musei Reali di Torino and Arthemisia, and curated by Annamaria Bava (Musei Reali di Torino) and Gelsomina Spione (University of Turin), the exhibition brings together over 40 masterpieces from important Italian and international institutions—from the Louvre to the Prado, from the Vatican Pinacoteca to the Uffizi Galleries—allowing visitors to trace the entire stylistic evolution of an artist who was able to continually reinvent himself without ever betraying his unmistakable poetics.
The exhibition follows the rhythm of the journey that defined Gentileschi’s life and work: an itinerary from Rome to Fabriano, from Genoa to Turin, to the courts of Paris and London, where the artist dialogued, competed, and collaborated with some of the most influential figures of his time. From his early years, marked by the elegance inherited from the 16th century, to his encounter with Caravaggio’s naturalism, to his English maturity characterized by vibrant colors and unparalleled scenic composure, the exhibition tells the story of a painter capable of renewing the Baroque language with an ever-personal and recognizable voice.
Alongside him are the names of the masters and fellow travelers who crossed his path—from Giovanni Baglione to Guido Reni, from Simon Vouet to Van Dyck, to his family relationships with his brother Aurelio and daughter Artemisia—and above all, the figures of the patrons who recognized his talent: from the court of Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy to Maria de’ Medici, from Charles I of England to Philip IV of Spain.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the large Annunciation, painted for the Duke of Savoy and brought to Turin in 1623: a manifesto work, now in the Sabauda Gallery, which represents one of the absolute peaks of Gentileschi’s production and the beating heart of the entire exhibition.
“Orazio Gentileschi. A Painter on a Journey” is promoted by the Ministry of Culture – Department for the Promotion of Cultural Heritage and the University of Turin, and is part of the program of the Milan Cortina 2026 Cultural Olympics, which accompanies the country towards the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Frecciarossa is the mobility partner of the initiative. The exhibition catalog is published by Moebius.
The exhibition reaffirms Orazio Gentileschi as one of the true protagonists of his time: an artist who did not follow the 17th century, but guided it. And who today returns to impose himself with the same force with which, centuries ago, he conquered the courts of Europe.
