Caravaggio in Shanghai

Caravaggio’s Boy with a Basket of Fruit is the centrepiece of a major Baroque art exhibition in Shanghai this Spring. The sheer volume, scope and importance of loans from the @galleriaborgheseufficiale is remarkable, representing Carracci, Reni, Bernini, Ribera, Barocci, Sacchi, Domenichino, Lanfranco, Honthorst, Turchi, Baglione as well as Fede Galizia, Lavinia Fontana, Jacques Stella, the Master of Hartford Still life, and many others. It is perhaps no surprise that besides Caravaggio, his teacher the Cavaliere d’Arpino is by far the best represented with at least 6 works on canvas, copper and slate. Over 100 works owned by the Cavaliere was confiscated in 1607 to become the core of the Borghese collection, many of which are exhibited here alongside works acquired by the museum as recent as 2020.