Civic Art Gallery

The exhibition unfolds across the second and the third floors. Some of the most important works on display include Renaissance paintings, in particular the extraordinary Crucifixion by Donato de' Bardi. This painting, which is absolutely unique in the 15th century art scene, is probably the earliest and most important link between Flemish Ars Nova and 15th century Italian art.

A huge, polychromatic wooden Crucifix and a marble bas-relief of the Madonna and Child lead visitors to imposing polyptychs, such as the Pala Fornari by Vincenzo Foppa. These works epitomize the flourishing of the arts in Savona between the 15th and 16th centuries, owing to the patronage of the two popes belonging to the local Della Rovere family: Sixtus IV and Julius II. Altarpieces and large canvases with mythological themes, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, feature works by well-known Ligurian artists such as Valerio Castello, Gioacchino Assereto, Giovanni Battista Carlone, Domenico Piola, Bartolomeo Guidobono, Giovanni Agostino, and Carlo Giuseppe Ratti.

The religious and romantic painting of the 19th century is represented by the works by Nicolò Barabino and Giuseppe Frascheri. One of the rooms showcases Professor Renzo Mantero’s very special collection of icons, dedicated to the Gran Madre delle tre Mani.