Michelangelo and Bologna: a journey through art, power, and rebirth in the heart of the Renaissance

The exhibition “Michelangelo e Bologna, la storia di un incontro” (“Michelangelo and Bologna: the story of an encounter”) opens the doors of Palazzo Fava for a journey through the unprecedented and moving relationship between the Renaissance master and the Emilian city. The extraordinary occasion is the 550th anniversary of Michelangelo’s birth, an event that Bologna has chosen to celebrate by unveiling a lesser-known dimension of Buonarroti: his artistic and personal ties with the city, the connections woven at crucial moments of his life, and the works that took shape here, leaving an indelible mark on local history and on the artist’s own formation.

The setting is Palazzo Fava, the pulsating heart of Bologna’s Renaissance, where from November 14, 2025, to February 15, 2026, an exhibition curated with scholarly rigor by Cristina Acidini and Alessandro Cecchi sheds light on the stages of Michelangelo’s relationship with Bologna. Sculptures, drawings, historical casts, rare books, and unique archival documents are brought into dialogue, weaving together the artistic, historical, and human narratives to cast new perspectives on the journey of one of the most iconic figures in Western art history.

The narrative begins in Florence, where the young Michelangelo grew up in the vibrant cultural environment fostered by Lorenzo the Magnificent, profoundly shaped by the study of classical sculpture, anatomical research, and the expressive power of the human body. One of the first milestones of the exhibition is the exceptional presence of the Madonna of the Stairs, on loan from Casa Buonarroti: a work created by the master in his adolescence that already reveals his rare sensitivity and precocious skill, a tangible sign of a talent destined to revolutionize art history.

In 1494, forced to leave Florence after the Medici were expelled, Michelangelo sought refuge in Bologna, then under the rule of the powerful Bentivoglio family. Welcomed with enthusiasm, the young artist received the commission that marked his first encounter with Emilian sculpture: the completion of several statues for the Arca di San Domenico. The figures of Saint Proculus, the Candle-bearing Angel, and Saint Petronius embody the early maturity of the twenty-year-old Michelangelo, who already engaged in dialogue with local masters, blending his personal poetics with Bologna’s artistic identity. In this period, the genius grappled with the themes of power and patronage—central subjects that the exhibition reinterprets through portraits, artworks, documents, and objects of the time, evoking the vibrant atmosphere of Bologna between the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

The Bentivoglio’s monumental elegance, their cultural patronage, and ties with leading artists of the age provided the ideal stage for Michelangelo’s creative development. This synergy between power, culture, and artistic expression nurtured the growth of the painter and sculptor, helping shape a vision destined to influence the entire Renaissance. In the constant dialogue between Florence and Bologna, tradition and innovation, Michelangelo drew inspiration for his stylistic quest, absorbing and transforming ideas that would resurface in his mature works.

The artist’s second stay in Bologna, between 1506 and 1508, unfolded in a radically changed context. Now under Papal rule following the entry of Julius II’s troops, Bologna became a political and artistic laboratory of great ambitions. Pope Julius II was the key figure of this period: he summoned Michelangelo to create a bronze statue of his likeness for the façade of San Petronio. The work, now lost and the subject of much research, became the centerpiece of a fascinating episode that reflects the complex relationship between the artist and the pope. Here, Michelangelo confronted the propaganda needs of religious power and the monumental demands of new patrons, negotiating—through artistry and diplomacy—the tension between creative autonomy and political necessity.

The exhibition emphasizes this chapter with documentary treasures of extraordinary value. On display will be Michelangelo’s autograph letters—precious evidence of his exchanges with Julius II, his family, and the dramatic context of the time, including the plague that deeply marked city life. Also of great interest will be an original drawing by the master, a study for Julius II’s tomb, which reveals the genesis of a project that would forever transform the very concept of the funerary monument and commemorative sculpture in Europe.

The exhibition is conceived as a true journey through time, retracing Michelangelo’s encounter with Bologna not only through visible works, but also through the reinterpretation of historical events, social tensions, and political shifts that shaped the city during its transition from Bentivoglio rule to Papal dominion. It becomes a layered narrative where art, power, society, and culture intertwine, showing Bologna’s fundamental role in the formation of Michelangelo’s genius.

A space is also devoted to the musical heritage of the Renaissance. The exhibition will be preceded by two “Musical Frescoes”, concert-conversations exploring period compositions and dances, Michelangelo’s poetic output, and the impact of his art on European music across the centuries. This curatorial choice underscores the intermedial nature of the Renaissance, when visual arts, poetry, and music intermingled and enhanced one another. Michelangelo’s influence on musical culture will thus be revisited through performances and archival testimonies, highlighting a lesser-known yet crucial facet of the artist.

Promoted by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna within the Genus Bononiae project and produced by Opera Laboratori, the exhibition draws strength from the richness of its materials. Historical casts, archival documents, ancient books, unpublished drawings, and sculptures make the path a continuous discovery, each stage revealing the intersections between the master’s biography and Bologna’s history. The dialogue between Michelangelo and the city becomes emblematic of how artistic mobility, cultural exchange, and the spirit of the age fueled Renaissance renewal.

Visitors will be immersed in a multidimensional journey, where Michelangelo’s personal story intertwines with that of the city, where the tensions between power and artist are etched in stone and bronze, and where written testimonies reveal the fragile yet powerful human side of the Florentine genius. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to discover how Bologna, a crossroads of histories and destinies, helped shape his sensibility and artistic imagination. Never before has the encounter between Michelangelo and the Emilian city been presented with such depth and relevance, offering the public a journey into the very roots of European modernity.