Red Palace
The Palazzo Rosso is one of the cultural highlights of the Ligurian port city of Genoa. It houses one of the city's most important art galleries and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along with the nearby Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria Tursi, Palazzo Rosso is an important part of the large and important museums on Via Garibaldi. Among the most important painters who have found their way into the collection are Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (called "Il Guercino", Paolo Caliari called (Il Veronese) and Albrecht Dürer.
History of the house
The roots of the imposing building go back to the 17th century. In 1671, the noblemen Rodolfo and Giovanni Francesco Brignole Sale commissioned the architect Pietro Antonio Corradi to build the palazzo. The house remained in the possession of the prestigious Genoese family until 1874. The last heiress of the property, Maria Brignole Sale De Ferrari, Duchess of Galliera, donated it to the city of Genoa. The motive for this great gift was certainly the desire to preserve the good name of the family for all time and to provide the hometown with representative space. The legacy of the Duchess of Galliera also included a magnificent art collection, which is the kerfuffle of today's collection.
In the course of time, the building was repeatedly extended or rebuilt by important master builders. Around 1679 a salon with fresco paintings by Domenico Piola and Gregorio De Ferrari was built. The two master builders also designed four halls according to the theme of the Four Seasons. However, part of the history of the house is that it has been subject to destruction. Genoa was the scene of major bombardments during the Second World War. In the course of these, the Palazzo Rosso was also badly hit by air raids. The salon with its frescoes, for example, was unfortunately destroyed.
Important art gallery
Like many other wealthy noblewomen, Duchess Maria Brignole Sale De Ferrari set about building up a valuable art collection. She devoted more than two decades of her life (1811-1888) to this passion. Like her ancestors, she primarily collected paintings. Especially painters of the Flemish school (for example van Dyck) became the trademark of the collection. Italian painting of the Baroque period continued to develop into a further focus. Among the most outstanding representatives of this period are paintings by Guido Reni, Il Guercino, Mattia Preti and Bernardo Strozzi, which can be admired in the Palazzo Rosso. In addition to these, however, works from the Venetian environment are also of great importance. In this context, Palma the Old and Il Veronese are particularly noteworthy as components of the exhibition.
In the 20th century, the building was heavily renovated. In the course of this, collections from other artistic fields were integrated. For example, coin and ceramic collections can be admired. However, the most famous paintings on display are still works such as Albrecht Dürer's "Portrait of a Young Man against a Green Background", Anthonis van Dyck's "Paolina Adorno-Brignole-Sale" or Guido Reni's "San Sebastiano". This combination of historic building, important paintings and Genoa's history make Palazzo Rosso a great example of UNESCO World Heritage.
