Baroque. The Great Theatre of Ideas

The great exhibition in Forlì in 2026

Every year, the San Domenico Civic Museum in Forlì, in the heart of Romagna, becomes the stage for a major art exhibition capable of attracting visitors from all over Italy and abroad. For 2026, the theme is Baroque: from February 21 to June 28, 2026, the exhibition Baroque. The Great Theatre of Ideas transforms the monumental spaces of the former Dominican convent into an authentic theatre of ideas and images.

Over 200 works and the great masters of the 17th century

The exhibition brings together over 200 works and offers a journey through the century that revolutionized European art. Among the protagonists are Caravaggio, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Pietro da Cortona, Pieter Paul Rubens, Antoon van Dyck, Guercino, and Guido Reni, alongside reflections and reinterpretations of the Baroque up to the 20th century. The exhibition explores the relationship between art, power, faith, science, and society in one of the most complex and fascinating periods of European history.

Ten thematic sections

The exhibition is organized into ten sections, from the Church of San Giacomo to the large halls that housed the ancient library of the convent. Curated by Daniele Benati, Enrico Colle, Andreas Dehmer, Fernando Mazzocca, and Francesco Petrucci, with Cristina Acidini as president of the scientific committee and Gianfranco Brunelli as general director, the exhibition features exceptional loans, including those from the National Galleries of Ancient Art in Rome (Palazzo Barberini and Galleria Corsini).

A Forlì exhibition tradition

The San Domenico exhibition has for years been a benchmark event for audiences in Emilia-Romagna and beyond: conceived and realized by the Fondazione Cassa dei Risparmi di Forlì in collaboration with the Municipality of Forlì (Province of Forlì-Cesena), it has built a format of high scientific profile thematic exhibitions over time. After the 2025 edition dedicated to the portrait and self-portrait of the artist, 2026 focuses on the Baroque, confirming Forlì as one of Italy's capitals for major exhibitions.