A Major Cultural Event in Charlotte
The Mint Museum is set to unveil a major cultural event in Charlotte with an exhibit featuring Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, the legendary Baroque master, art influencer, and outlaw. This is a significant moment for the art world, as Caravaggio’s work is credited with changing the direction of painting and continues to influence modern film and art.
The exhibit, titled “Caravaggio | Revolution: Baroque Masterpieces from the Roberto Longhi Foundation,” opens on Sunday, April 26. The dark gray gallery walls highlight the emotions in each of the roughly 40 paintings in the exhibition, which centers on Caravaggio and works by artists inspired by him.
According to Todd Herman, CEO of the Mint, Caravaggio captured the immediacy that had been missing in classic works. “When you think about Caravaggio’s paintings, the emotional quality and realism in them was meant to inspire emotion in the viewer,” Herman said during a media preview of the exhibition. “He captured a whole different moment, a whole different energy, and it just could not be denied.”
The Collection from the Roberto Longhi Foundation
The collection coming from Longhi’s collection in Florence, Italy, showcases the details and power of Caravaggio’s style, which contrasts darkness and light to create emotional intensity. One of the highlights is Matthias Stom’s “Annunciation of the Birth of Samson” (c. 1630–1632), an oil-on-canvas painting that depicts the appearance of an angel and focused lighting on the figures’ faces.
This radical realism transformed not only painting but also modern film and photography, according to Herman. The exhibit also sheds light on the artist’s personal life, which was just as dramatic as his works. He became a larger-than-life figure partly because of his biography and in addition to his rough lifestyle. “He was a conflict in many ways,” Herman said.
Five Key Things to Know About the Show
Here are five more key things to know about the show:
- The exhibit is a first for the US: It marks the first time that a major Caravaggio exhibition has been held in the United States.
- The centerpiece of the exhibit is the rare circa 1597 oil on canvas painting, “Boy Bitten by a Lizard.” It’s one of fewer than 80 works attributed to Caravaggio. This is the first time the painting is on view in the U.S. Mint Museum CEO Todd Herman called having the painting a “real coup.”
- Caravaggio is the OG art influencer: He is considered one of the top-tier artists in Western art history and practically invented the theatrical Baroque style. He introduced chiaroscuro lighting – the dramatic use of light and shadow – that created atmospheric, high-drama scenes. His revolutionary work inspired artists like Rembrandt and continues to influence modern filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, and even the music video for R.E.M.’s 1991 hit “Losing My Religion.”
- This Caravaggio exhibit is exclusive: Securing the show was a major undertaking, with the Mint raising money in the “high six figures” to borrow the 40 paintings from the Roberto Longhi Foundation in Florence, Italy. Due to strict Italian government legal constraints, the collection is only visiting two U.S. venues at the Mint and previously, Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, where it debuted.
- Caravaggio was a fugitive, not just a painter: He lived a short, tumultuous life and had a notorious reputation. He painted for less than 20 years, as he was often on the run after killing a man in a street brawl in 1606. He was convicted and sentenced to death in absentia, and remained a fugitive until his death at age 38.
How to See the Caravaggio Exhibition in Charlotte
“Caravaggio | Revolution: Baroque Masterpieces from the Roberto Longhi Foundation” runs from April 26 through October 25 at Mint Museum Uptown, located at 500 S. Tryon St., Charlotte. Admission is $10, on top of the regular $15 museum pricing.
Bonus Feature: See Caravaggio’s Influence on Films
In partnership with the Mint’s exhibition, Independent Picture House is running the film series, “Chiaroscuro: Films of Light and Shadow.” The film lineup includes:
- April 28: “Citizen Kane,” 1941, drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz.
- June 16: “Mean Streets,” 1973, crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, from a screenplay co-written with Mardik Martin.
- July 28: “Blade Runner,” 1982, science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples.
- September 11: “Fight Club,” 1999, directed by David Fincher, and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter.
