A major exhibition featuring ancient and early Renaissance Italian art has opened at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Titled "Awakened: The Ruins of Antiquity and the Birth of the Italian

Renaissance," the exhibition was launched on Monday night by the culture ministers of Poland and Italy.

This comprehensive exhibition, the first of its kind in Poland, presents a wide range of ancient and early Renaissance art. It primarily focuses on the Italian Quattrocento period, the 15th-century era characterized by the rediscovery and revival of classical Greco-Roman traditions.

Featuring over 160 exhibits, the collection is sourced from more than 50 institutions and private collections worldwide, with notable contributions from renowned galleries such as the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Borghese Gallery in Rome, the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

Mikołaj Baliszewski, the exhibition's curator, highlighted the dialogue between the art of the 15th and early 16th centuries and ancient artifacts. He emphasized the revival of ancient forms and techniques employed by artists during that time. Baliszewski described the exhibition as a celebration of reaching out to the heritage of antiquity, showcasing the enduring fascinations, traces, and ideas in European culture.

The exhibition features works by renowned masters including Pietro Perugino, Giovanni Bellini, Sandro Botticelli, Donato Bramante, and Andrea del Verrocchio.

Prof. Wojciech Fałkowski, director of Warsaw's Royal Castle, emphasized that the exhibition represents Italian culture, which laid the foundation for modern European culture. He explained that Italy is a natural focus for the Royal Castle since it is the birthplace of ideas, models, and inspirations that spread across the entire continent.

Poland's Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Piotr Gliński, described the exhibition as a testament to the art of the Italian Quattrocento, which he considers the most significant cultural breakthrough in history. He highlighted how the passionate discovery of ancient Roman and Greek monuments and ideas led to transformative changes in all aspects of life throughout Europe.

Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano emphasized the event's significance in reinforcing Polish-Italian friendship. He expressed his delight that the Polish public will have the opportunity to admire masterpieces by artists such as Botticelli, Bramante, Mantegna, Verrocchio, and Perugino, whose 500th death anniversary falls this year.

The exhibition will run until October 15, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the captivating world of Italian art from antiquity to the Renaissance. Photo by Petar Milošević, Wikimedia commons.