Among Friends and Rivals: Caravaggio in Rome

Two rarely-loaned works by Caravaggio – The Cardsharps (c. 1595) from the Kimbell Art Museum and Martha and Mary Magdalene (c. 1598) from the Detroit Institute of Art – are at the heart of this exhibition (8 September–31 December). The show at the Art Institute of Chicago highlights the artist’s skill for creating drama both on and off the canvas, as well as his far-reaching artistic influence. Born in Milan in 1571, after a move to Rome he became famous for his depictions of the city’s underworld – and infamous for his own involvement in it. In 1606, after murdering a man in a brawl, Caravaggio fled the city to escape the death sentence. His work attracted a host of dedicated followers including the likes of Bartolomeo Manfredi and Francesco Buoneri, whose paintings – also on show – employ similarly extreme contrasts of light and dark. Find out more on the AIC’s website.

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The Cardsharps (c. 1595), Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth

Cupid Chastised (1613), Bartolomeo Manfredi. Art Institute of Chicago

The Resurrection (c. 1619–20), Francesco Buoneri. Art Institute of Chicago