Angels: Messengers, Guardians, Wayfarers — Exhibition at the Capitoline Museums

The Capitoline Museums host an exhibition focused on depictions of angels in Western art, spanning works from the 17th century to modern and contemporary reinterpretations. The display highlights the shift from symbolic presences to more humanized and modern portrayals.

Highlights

• Pietro da Cortona, "The Guardian" (1656) — loan from the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Palazzo Barberini.
• Carlo Dolci, "Announcing Angel" (c.1650) — loan from the Uffizi collections.
• Guercino, "Saint Matthew with the Angel" (1622) — from the Capitoline Museums collection.
• Giovanni Antonio Galli (Lo Spadarino), "Guardian Angel" (c.1620) — loan from the Fondo Edifici di Culto.
• Modern and contemporary works from private collections, including pieces by Omar Galliani and Osvaldo Licini.

Organization and catalogue

Curated by Massimo Rossi Ruben and Viviana Vannucci, the exhibition is promoted by the Municipality of Rome – Department of Culture, with collaboration from the Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage. The official catalogue is published by Gangemi Editore, offering scholarly essays and detailed object entries.

Practical information

Dates: from 13 May to 1 November 2026.

Venue: ground-floor rooms of the Palazzo dei Conservatori, Capitoline Museums — Piazza del Campidoglio 4, 00186 Rome.

The exhibition brings together loans from national institutions and private collections, including Museo di Capodimonte, Gallerie Nazionali, the Uffizi, Museo Nazionale del Bargello and the Pinacoteca Capitolina. For updated opening times, ticketing and booking procedures, consult the Capitoline Museums' official channels before your visit.

Why visit

This exhibition provides a rare chance to compare masterpieces and contemporary responses side by side, tracing how aesthetic, religious and social roles have shaped angelic imagery over centuries.