An exhibition titled "Vasari and Rome" has opened at the Capitoline Museums in Rome, running until July 19, 2026. Curated by Alessandra Baroni and promoted by Roma Capitale, the show features over seventy works—including drawings, prints, engravings, letters, medals, sculptures, and paintings—that trace Giorgio Vasari's relationship with 16th-century Rome. Sixteen autograph works and seven drawings are among the highlights, arranged in four sections that follow the chronology of Vasari's Roman sojourns, from his arrival in 1532 under Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici to his later engagements with patrons like Bindo Altoviti and Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. The exhibition is staged in an intimate, chamber-like setting on the top floor of Palazzo Caffarelli, contrasting the small space with the vast theme of Vasari's role in papal Rome's political and cultural life.
This exhibition matters because it offers a nuanced reassessment of Vasari, best known as the author of "The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects." By focusing on his time in Rome and presenting his graphic works alongside his paintings, the show reveals both his limitations as a painter and his significant talent as a draftsman, as well as his surprising modern sensibilities. It also highlights Vasari's role as a cultural connector in Rome's intellectual salons and art yards, where he interacted with figures like Annibal Caro, Paolo Giovio, and Francesco Maria Molza, who helped shape the project of the "Lives." This contextualization deepens understanding of Vasari's legacy beyond his famous biographical writings.