As part of an initiative that strengthens collaborations with local museum institutions and enhances the shared enjoyment of artistic heritage, Palazzo Magnani is hosting, until 6 April 2026, the work Sant’Antonio abate e San Pietro d’Alcantara by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, on loan from the Civic Museums of Bologna.
UniCredit Art Collection announces the arrival, in the Quadreria of Palazzo Magnani, of an artwork on loan from the Civic Museums of Ancient Art – Bologna Civic Museums Sector, within an initiative that reinforces collaborations with museum institutions and promotes the shared appreciation of artistic heritage.
Within this framework, the Quadreria is now exhibiting Sant’Antonio abate e San Pietro d’Alcantara (c. 1730–1740) by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, known as “lo Spagnolo”. The painting is on loan from the Civic Museums of Bologna, which in turn have received from UniCredit Art Collection the work La visione di San Vincenzo (1582–1586) by Ludovico Carracci, currently enriching the exhibition Bartolomeo Cesi. Painting of Silence in the Age of the Carracci at the Museo Civico Medievale, on view until 6 April 2026.
Crespi’s painting, a significant example of the artist’s mature production, depicts two saints in an intense state of asceticism. The dramatic atmosphere—built through loose and vibrant brushwork—is animated by sudden flashes of light that highlight the expressiveness of the faces and the spiritual tension of the figures. While the theme of the saint in meditation or ecstasy is frequent in Crespi’s work, the double representation is instead rare and gives the painting a distinctive narrative strength.
The artworks from the UniCredit Art Collection displayed in the Quadreria are often requested for exhibitions hosted by major museum institutions. To make this dialogue even more dynamic, UniCredit has undertaken a new form of collaboration by initiating a temporary exchange of artworks with museums that request loans from the bank’s collection. This approach aims to keep the Quadreria’s display constantly alive and to offer the public new opportunities to enjoy outstanding works of art.
