Capodimonte, a fifty-year history

13 December 2007 - 27 February 2008

The exhibition offers the visitor an opportunity to find out about the history of the Capodimonte museum, one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in Italy and abroad.
They can see the different layouts the museum has had, the events which have marked important periods in the city's history and understand how important the museum is on an international level. The exhibition is being held in the new exhibition spaces which were made by converting existing underground chambers under the south courtyard area, which were probably old air-raid shelters built between the two world wars.
The fifty years of Capodimonte's history will be recounted in four different sections with large printed images and videos, some of which are also featured on the audio guide.

Museum architecture and layout
A sequence of photos, a collection of graphics and huge photographic panels show some of the most interesting architectural and design features of the museum during the two major restructuring and extension phases since the 1950s which have made the Royal Palace what it is today.

Restoration
One of the major features of the Capodimonte museum, right from the start, has been a focus on the best preservation of its works of art. This led to the museum setting up a Conservation and Restoration Workshop which was one of the most avant-garde in Europe a year before the museum opened its doors to the public. Some of the most important restoration work of the last few years will be presented.
The works which have been selected demonstrate the importance and variety of the different types of work the museum houses. These range from an amazing cycle of Arazzi (tapestries) showing the Battle of Pavia to Renaissance bronzes, from ornamental weapons to ceramics, and from wooden sculptures to paintings. The restoration work was necessary for the recovery of the works of art but also provided an opportunity for the museum to develop their skills and knowledge and the latest diagnostic investigation methods enabled them to view the works in a new light.

Exhibitions
"Exhibitions at Capodimonte, Capodimonte on display" reviews the most important exhibitions held at the Neapolitan Museum thanks to help from Italian and foreign museums including: Seventeenth Century Civilisation, Eighteenth Century Civilisation, Nineteenth Century Civilisation, Caravaggio, Velázquez, Titian. It will also show two of the most important exhibitions organised abroad by the Neapolitan group of Museums which testify to the importance of the role played by the Capodimonte museum in Europe and in the world: in 1996, in Bonn, "Napoli! Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte" and, in 2006, in Salamanca, Seville and Madrid "Obras maestras del Capodimonte".

Events / loans and purchases
There are numerous atmospheric photographs revealing just how often the Museum has hosted musical events in its ballroom or courtyard, as well as gala evenings and visits by Heads of State, Royalty and political figures. This section of the exhibition reveals the fashions, customs and faces which highlight the profound changes that have taken place over the last fifty years. A series of images also shows how the museum's collections have grown over the years, through donations, loans and purchases.
The project is headed by Liliana Marra in collaboration with Alessandra Quarto and Umberto Bile, Fernanda Capobianco, Lilia Rocco and Annachiara Alabiso