GENOA.- Van Dyck: The European. The Journey of a Genius from Antwerp to Genoa and London is the largest exhibition of our century dedicated to the extraordinary work of one of the most iconic artists in the history of international art, and among the most beloved by the general public.

Curated by Anna Orlando and Katlijne Van der Stighelen, the exhibition traces the entire arc of an artist of exceptional talent. The narrative unfolds as the journey undertaken by Van Dyck from his homeland in Flanders to the court of Charles I of England, through numerous travels and, above all, following a long six-year stay in Italy. His was a career of extraordinary success, leading him to become the most celebrated portraitist in Europe, cut short by his premature death at just forty-two.

Van Dyck was a European painter in the fullest sense of the term. At Palazzo Ducale, works from his significant Italian period (1621–1627), during which Genoa played a central role, will be on display alongside numerous works created at different moments of his career and across his travels. His artistic trajectory unfolds in parallel with the economic and political history of Europe.

A true genius, Van Dyck transcended centuries, meeting the tastes of diverse social contexts and historical periods through both subject matter and technique. He was able to synthesize influences from various environments and translate them into innovative artistic formulas.

The exhibition’s exceptional nature lies in the extraordinary number of works by Van Dyck—60 pieces across ten thematic sections—on loan from some of Europe’s most prestigious museums, including the Louvre in Paris, the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, the National Gallery in London, as well as major Italian institutions such as the Uffizi Gallery, the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, the Royal Museums of Turin, and the National Gallery of Parma, in addition to important international foundations and collections such as Belgium’s Phoebus Foundation and Portugal’s Gaudium Magnum.

The exhibition does not follow a strict chronological order. Instead, the works—displayed across twelve rooms—are arranged thematically, encouraging direct comparison between the style of the young Van Dyck in his homeland, his Italian period, and his mature English phase. Visitors will be able, for instance, to compare portraits of a Genoese noblewoman with those of women from Antwerp, Brussels, and England—works created at different times and for patrons with distinct tastes and sensibilities. This highlights Van Dyck’s extraordinary ability to adapt to the environments in which he worked, while also revealing the aesthetic dialogue between diverse commissions.

The exhibition goes beyond Van Dyck the portraitist—though this celebrated aspect of his work is richly represented—and introduces visitors to his religious paintings: a powerful blend of theatricality and pathos, faith and emotion. This lesser-known aspect of his oeuvre is rarely presented in Italy on such a scale. Among the works on display are The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine from the Prado, the magnificent Saint Sebastian from the National Gallery of Scotland, and remarkable previously unseen works such as an Ecce Homo from a private European collection. Exceptionally removed from the altar of the small church of San Michele di Pagana (Rapallo), the monumental Crucifixion—the only public altarpiece Van Dyck created for Liguria—will conclude the exhibition.

Greeting visitors at the beginning of the exhibition is one of its highlights: the artist’s earliest known self-portrait, painted when he was around fifteen. On loan from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, it immediately reveals his prodigious talent.

Among the other outstanding loans are the Equestrian Portrait of Charles V from the Uffizi in Florence; the Portrait of Alessandro, Vincenzo and Francesco Maria Giustiniani Longo from the National Gallery in London; and Samson and Delilah from the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London. From the Louvre comes the Portrait of the Palatine Princes, while particularly striking are an exceptional and remarkably modern study for the figure of Saint Jerome, shown alongside an earlier life-size painting from the Phoebus Foundation, and The Three Ages of Man as Vanitas, preserved at the Civic Museum of Palazzo Chiericati in Vicenza.

Genoa, with its civic collections, will play a key role in welcoming both visitors from outside the city and local audiences, thanks to a curated itinerary highlighting works by Van Dyck and his Northern contemporaries, displayed in the magnificent spaces of the Strada Nuova Museums (Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco) and the National Museums of Genoa (Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Spinola). The wonder and enchantment of the exhibition at Palazzo Ducale will thus extend into the city itself, through suggested itineraries in Genoa, where Van Dyck resided for a long period and left tangible traces of his presence.

The exhibition is the result of years of research by the curators and a distinguished group of international scholars, culminating in a collective critical work authored by leading and up-to-date specialists on the artist. The catalogue is published by Allemandi (Italian edition), with an English edition by the Belgian publisher Hannibal Books.

Curated by Anna Orlando and Katlijne Van der Stighelen, the exhibition is supported by an international honorary scientific committee composed of distinguished Italian and international scholars: Anna Maria Bava, Director of the Galleria Sabauda and Head of Heritage of the Royal Museums of Turin; Maria Grazia Bernardini, former Director of the National Gallery of Ancient Art at Palazzo Barberini and the National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome; Raffaella Besta, Director of the Strada Nuova Museums in Genoa; Nils Büttner, President of the Centrum Rubenianum in Antwerp and Professor at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart; Luca Lo Basso, University of Genoa; Gregory Martin, member of the Editorial Board of the Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard and of the Rubenianum Fund in Antwerp, and Deputy Curator at the National Gallery in London; Jennifer Scott, Director of the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London; Alejandro Vergara, Senior Curator of Flemish Art and Northern Schools at the Museo del Prado, Madrid; Hans Vlieghe, Professor Emeritus at the University of Leuven and member of the Editorial Board of the Corpus Rubenianum L. Burchard in Antwerp; and Bert Watteeuw, Director of the Rubenshuis Museum in Antwerp.