Review: Caravaggio 2025 at Palazzo Barberini, Rome

Many fantastic events are being held throughout 2025 to celebrate Rome’s Jubilee - a Catholic tradition which occurs every 25 years - but for art lovers, none can rival the once-in-a-lifetime Caravaggio exhibition currently on display at the Palazzo Barberini. This blockbuster exhibition unites 24 masterpieces by the artist, many on loan from institutions and private collections around the world for the first time. 

Caravaggio 2025 at Palazzo Barberini, Rome. © Alberto Novelli and Alessio Panunzi, courtesy Gallerie Nazionali Arte Antica.

The artist was born Michelangelo Merisi but became known as Caravaggio after the name of his hometown in Lombardy, northern Italy. As many aspiring artists did, he moved to Rome at the age of 21 in 1592, and fell in love with the city’s unrivalled architecture and cultural riches. His life and work are in many ways a love letter to Rome, and the exhibition traces this relationship in intimate detail, from his early paintings of “naturalia” (flowers and fruits) to his first commissions from Cardinal Francesco del Monte, an eccentric but important patron. These early paintings are a testament to the artist’s comedic sensibilities, depicting entertaining social scenes from fortune tellers to card players.

In 1600, Caravaggio’s position in Rome became solidified, with a commission for the Cerasi chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo. The first version of this painting is on display at the Palazzo Barberini, alongside rare examples of Caravaggio’s portraiture, including his Portrait of Maffeo Barberini - an artwork never before seen in public. At the time, portraiture was considered a lesser genre, paling in importance compared to religious, historical, and mythological subjects.

Installation view, Caravaggio 2025 at Palazzo Barberini, Rome. © Alberto Novelli and Alessio Panunzi, courtesy Gallerie Nazionali Arte Antica.

Following the structure of the artist’s life, the exhibition traces the dark turn in Caravaggio’s work after the tragic episode in which he stabbed a rival, Ranuccio Tomassoni, during a tennis match. This took place at the height of his career, and forced him to flee the city which he loved so passionately. Masterpieces from his periods in exile in both Naples and Malta are exhibited, but his artistic success continued to be marked by fights and disagreements. Tortured by his inability to return to Rome, Caravaggio’s last days are shrouded in mystery. The exhibition’s final room brings together his final works, including Saint John the Baptist and The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula, painted a mere few days before he undertook his final, fatal journey by sea at the age of 39. 

In spite of Caravaggio’s renown in the 16th and 17th centuries, he fell into relative obscurity until his “rediscovery” by the scholar Roberto Longhi, who curated the artist’s first solo exhibition in 1951 at the Palazzo Reale in Milan. In many ways, this landmark exhibition at the Palazzo Barberini represents a long-awaited homecoming for the artist, and offers a nuanced celebration of his diverse oeuvre. This presentation highlights the importance of certain patrons and commissions throughout the artist’s career, as well as demonstrating the development of his style, particularly in his use of light and dramatic chiaroscuro. 

Installation view, Caravaggio 2025 at Palazzo Barberini, Rome. © Alberto Novelli and Alessio Panunzi, courtesy Gallerie Nazionali Arte Antica.

A new catalogue has also been published on the occasion of this exhibition with contributions from key academics and critics, ensuring the legacy and continued impact of this transformative presentation of Caravaggio. 

Date: 7 March - 6 July 2025. Location: Palazzo Barberini is Via delle Quattro Fontane, 13, 00184 Rome, Italy. Price: from 18 EUR. Concessions available. Book now

 Review by Sofia Carreira-Wham