Telling femininity through Baroque painting. An exhibition in Modena does it.

The Galleria BPER in Modena is hosting the exhibition "La virtù e la grazia. Tra sante, eroine e allegorie," curated by Lucia Peruzzi, which centers on female subjects in Baroque painting. The show draws from the BPER Group's collection and includes institutional and private loans, featuring works such as Guido Cagnacci's "Sant'Agata" (c. 1640) and Rutilio Manetti's "Presentazione al tempio" (c. 1625). The exhibition is organized into thematic islands that juxtapose saints, virgins, martyrs, classical heroines, and seductresses, culminating in Valerio Castello's "Allegoria dell'Abbondanza" (c. 1659).

The exhibition matters because it continues the BPER Group's broader cultural initiative—opening two new exhibition spaces in Ferrara and L'Aquila—while using Baroque art to explore timeless themes of femininity, virtue, and grace. It also demonstrates a commitment to accessibility and community engagement through tactile reproductions for the visually impaired, an audioguide created with university students, and proceeds from the catalog donated to a local disability foundation. This model shows how a corporate art collection can foster social inclusion and dialogue with its territory.