ART GALLERYMORETTI FINE ART

Fabrizio Moretti was born in 1976, the son of Alfredo Moretti, a highly esteemed Italian art dealer, and Kathleen Simonis. After graduating from the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy at the University of Florence and in 1999, at the age of only twenty-two, he founded the Galleria Moretti with the inaugural exhibition From Bernardo Daddi to Giorgio Vasari. After many successful exhibitions focusing on Old Masters, Mr Moretti became an international leader of the sector, eventually opening galleries in London and in Monaco. In 2004, the French Minister of Culture bestowed the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Art et des Lettres, making Mr Moretti the youngest person to receive the honour and requiring a change in French law.

The gallery works closely with the most notable scholars and public institutions and is known for its dedication to research and for handling works of the highest quality as well as for making this particular area more accessible to private collectors. The London seat of the gallery, Moretti Fine Art Ltd, opened in January 2005 as a point of reference for collectors seeking a confidential approach. From July 2018, after an extensive rennovation, the gallery will be opening the new space on Duke Street, continuing to champion St James’s as the centre of the London and international art market. Throughout the years, the philanthropic activity of the gallery has allowed for the publication of monographs of Italian painters, financed scholarships at several institutions and donated works of art to several museums around the world.

During his career, Mr Moretti has sold works to many international museums including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Louvre, The J. Paul Getty Museum, The Louvre in Abu Dhabi, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Galleria dell’Accademia, Museo di San Marco and Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. Under his direction as Chairman of the Biennale dell’Antiquariato di Palazzo Corsini, the fair has become one of the most important exhibitions in the world, bringing some of the world’s most famous artists to celebrate in Florence including Jeff Koons and Urs Fischer. In addition, he is a member of the Paintings Council for The J. Paul Getty Museum and his philanthropy has allowed for the publication of monographs of noteworthy Italian painters, sponsorships of international exhibitions as well as financing scholars at several institutions and donated works of art to Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

It is with great pride that Fabrizio Moretti opened the new gallery exhibition space on 5 June 2017 at Park Palace in Monte Carlo, Monaco, overlooking the fabled Place du Casino. With Monaco’s longstanding commitment to arts and culture, and its close ties with Italy, the expansion to Monte Carlo is a project undertaken with great anticipation. As always, the commitment to providing a discreet and tasteful environment for discerning collectors, museums and scholars remains unswerving.


MORETTI FINE ART
27, Avenue de la Costa
98000 Monaco
www.morettigallery.com
monaco@morettigallery.com
tel. +377 99 99 09 70

EXHIBITIONGiovanni Balducci for Saint John the Lateran

Moretti Fine Art is delighted to announce the presentation of five newly discovered panels by Giovanni Balducci, called ‘il Cosci’, commissioned by Pope Clemente VIII for the papal high altar in the basilica of Saint John the Lateran in Rome for the Jubilee of 1600.

It was Cardinal Alessandro de’ Medici’s appreciation of the artist Giovanni Balducci that was the decisive factor for the artist’s move to Rome, where he is to became one of the more expensive Florentine artists and received many important pontifical commissions. This included the decoration of the papal altar in Saint John the Lateran, an expressive symbol of renewal, commissioned by Clement VIII Aldobrandini in celebration of the Jubilee year, 1600.

It was Clement VIII himself who set up a program of liturgical adaptation in the Basilica after the apostolic visit on 22 May 1595. His visit and the solemn tribute paid to the relics and the place itself was reflected in a program of renovation within the basilica entrusted to the experience of Cardinal Alessandro de’ Medici. The project for the papal altar included a pictorial cycle aimed at celebrating martyrdom and, more broadly, the figures of Saints Peter and Paul, through the episodes translated into clear and narrative images, according to the conciliar dictations adopted by Clement VIII.

The five scenes, re-emerging after a long period of oblivion, are presented here for the first time after their discovery, therefore allowing a complete reconstruction of the predella of the papal altar of Saint John the Lateran, including the lateral parts that remained hidden until its removal in 1851.

Considering the symbolic importance of the place and the patron, in the Lateran predella, Balducci made the most of his previously proven compositional repertoire, revisiting it with a surprising executive freshness.

The catalogue of the exhibition is curated by Carlo Falciani and published by Centrodi.