There are dozens of reasons why you should trade a beautiful sunny day in Emilia-Romagna for the semi-darkness of the magnificent halls of the National Gallery of Parma. For example, you can wait out the hot siesta hours here for the benefit of your body and your soul, or you can take a purposeful trip through the world of the Italian Renaissance. The legendary Correggio, who spent his most productive years in Parma, became the pride of the gallery; now many of his iconic works are kept exactly in Parma National Gallery.
In addition, the museum is very easy to find – it is located in the Palazzo Pilotta, a stone’s throw from the Cathedral Square. The National Gallery has three permanent exhibitions. The first is devoted to the Italian painters of the 15-18 centuries, here you can see the works of Fra Beato Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Sebastiano del Piombo, Giulio Romano, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Canaletto and Carracci. The second exhibition presents the winners of academic competitions of the late 18th century, and in the halls of the third exhibition you will see the canvases of the legendary natives of the city – the artists Correggio and Parmigianino.
The unfinished portrait of a girl by Leonardo da Vinci, Correggio’s frescoes taken from demolished Parma buildings, as well as Parmigianino’s works are of particular value in the Parma Gallery.
The unfinished portrait of a girl by Leonardo da Vinci, Correggio’s frescoes removed from the ruined buildings of Parma, and the works of Parmigianino are of particular value in the Parma Gallery. Correggio’s collection of canvases includes “The Entombment,” “Madonna with St. Jerome” and “Madonna with a Basket,” while famous frescoes include “Coronation of Our Lady,” “Madonna della Scala” and “Annunciation.”
From the history of the National Gallery
The Pilotta Palace itself was built by Duke Ranuccio Farnese back in the early 17th century, but it wasn’t until a century later that the birth of the modern national gallery began in it. It all began with a painting by Correggio, Our Lady of San Girolamo, which in 1734 Charles Bourbon failed to take from Parma to Naples along with the rest of the Dukes of Farnese’s collection. Soon the city established an Academy of Arts and, in parallel, a new collection began to take shape, enriched by gifts and acquisitions.
Philippe Bourbon intended that the taste of the old masters should have a positive influence on the education of young painters studying at the Academy.
In 1816, after the end of the Napoleonic wars, many works of art captured by the French were returned to their homeland, also enriching the collection of the palace. From the rich collection, the Duchess Marie-Louise of Austria commissioned a salon to be set up in the palace with a permanent exhibition designed to highlight the merits of the paintings. The Gallery of Parma was born at that time, and in 1882 it separated from the Academy and became fully independent.