Titian 1520. The Gozzi Altarpiece of Ancona and the Annunciation from the Treviso Cathedral

An exhibition-event in the heart of Ancona

The Francesco Podesti Civic Art Gallery in Ancona, reopened to the public in December 2025 after a long refitting, hosts from April 2 to September 26, 2026, one of the most anticipated cultural initiatives of the year in the Marche region: Titian 1520. The Gozzi Altarpiece of Ancona and the Annunciation from the Treviso Cathedral. For the first time in history, three masterpieces by the great Venetian master Tiziano Vecellio are exhibited together in the halls of Palazzo Bosdari, on Via Ciriaco Pizzecolli, in the historic center of the Municipality of Ancona.

The Gozzi Altarpiece, a treasure of the city

The heart of the exhibition is the Gozzi Altarpiece (oil on panel, 1520), commissioned by the Ragusa merchant Alvise Gozzi for the church of San Francesco ad Alto and today the pride of the Ancona Art Gallery. It is the first work signed and dated by Titian, a turning point in the painter's career. Recently restored and returned to Ancona after a loan to Pieve di Cadore, the artist's birthplace, the panel is finally visible to the public again in all its splendor.

The unrepeatable encounter

Alongside the Gozzi Altarpiece, the exhibition brings together two other fundamental works. The Malchiostro Annunciation (1520), on loan from the Treviso Cathedral thanks to the collaboration with the Treviso Diocese, allows for the first time a direct comparison between two paintings created by Titian in the same crucial year. Completing the triptych is the Crucifixion from 1558, a testament to the artist's maturity. Together, the three works reveal the evolution and creative workshop of one of the greatest protagonists of the Venetian Renaissance.

Lorenzo Lotto, the other great of the Renaissance

In parallel, the Art Gallery offers a second study exhibition dedicated to Lorenzo Lotto, featuring the famous portrait of the crossbowman Battista di Rocca Contrada, on loan from the Capitoline Museums in Rome and displayed alongside the Alabarda Altarpiece from the permanent collection. A tribute to the deep connection between Lotto and the Marche region.

A year of celebrations

The exhibition is part of the celebrations for the 450th anniversary of Titian's death and the Milano-Cortina 2026 Cultural Olympics program, contributing to Ancona's bid to become Italian Capital of Culture 2028. A precious opportunity to rediscover the artistic heritage of the Marche capital and the Marche Region.