“The Carracci drawings: The making of the Galleria Farnese” Exhibition
The Louvre Museum presented the exhibition The Carracci drawings: The making of the Galleria Farnese from November 5, 2025 – February 2, 2026. Completed at the dawn of the 17th century, the Galleria Farnese in the heart of the Palazzo Farnese—today the French Embassy in Italy—stands as one of Western painting’s greatest masterpieces. Decorated by Annibale Carracci, his brother Agostino, and their students, the gallery captivated contemporaries and generations of artists alike, admired not only for its luminous frescoes but also for the extraordinary preparatory drawings that reveal the meticulous planning behind the work.
The exhibition brought together the remarkable drawings to Paris, reassembling the gallery like a giant visual puzzle. Visitors encountered an immersive reconstruction of the Galleria Farnese’s vaulted ceiling, alongside the Camerino Farnese, a smaller, private room on the first floor of the Palazzo Farnese, where Carracci first tested his designs. The exhibition presents the artist’s preparatory sheets—from quick sketches to monumental full-scale cartoons—offering an unprecedented insight into the vision and determination of the 34-year-old Carracci as he sought to revive painting both stylistically and intellectually.
This exhibition was curated by Victor Hundsbuckler, Curator, Department of Prints and Drawings, of the Musée du Louvre.