{"id":5892,"date":"2026-06-05T10:48:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T08:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laquila2026.it\/senza-categoria\/antonello-da-messinas-ecce-homo-arrives-at-the-munda-in-laquila-on-june-8-the-renaissance-masterpiece-will-find-its-permanent-home\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T20:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T18:00:46","slug":"antonello-da-messinas-ecce-homo-arrives-at-the-munda-in-laquila-on-june-8-the-renaissance-masterpiece-will-find-its-permanent-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/laquila2026.it\/en\/laquila-2026\/antonello-da-messinas-ecce-homo-arrives-at-the-munda-in-laquila-on-june-8-the-renaissance-masterpiece-will-find-its-permanent-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Antonello da Messina\u2019s \u201cEcce Homo\u201d arrives at the MuNDA in L\u2019Aquila: on June 8, the Renaissance masterpiece will find its permanent home"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the most famous paintings of the Italian Renaissance is joining the permanent collection of the National Museum of Abruzzo. On June 8, 2026, as part of L\u2019Aquila\u2019s designation as Italian Capital of Culture, the MuNDA will host the unveiling ceremony for Antonello da Messina\u2019s \u201cEcce Homo,\u201d recently acquired by the Italian government through the Ministry of Culture. From 8:00 p.m. to midnight, there will be a special public opening. <\/strong><\/h2>\n

L’Aquila is preparing to host one of the most significant cultural events of its year as the Italian Capital of Culture\u2014and, more broadly, in the history of museums in Southern Italy. On Monday, June 8, 2026<\/strong>, the National Museum of Abruzzo (MuNDA)<\/strong>, set within the 16th-century Castle of L\u2019Aquila, will officially welcome Antonello da Messina\u2019s \u201cEcce Homo<\/strong>\u201d: this 15th-century panel painting\u2014one of the most studied, reproduced, and beloved works of the Italian Renaissance, recently acquired by the Ministry of Culture<\/strong> for the national heritage\u2014will find its permanent home<\/strong> in L\u2019Aquila.<\/p>\n

The event is the result of a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture<\/strong>, the City of L’Aquila<\/strong>, and MuNDA<\/strong>, and will be attended by Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli<\/strong> and L’Aquila Mayor Pierluigi Biondi<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Antonello da Messina’s “Ecce Homo”: Why It Is a Masterpiece<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Painted in the second half of the 15th century, Antonello da Messina\u2019s \u201cEcce Homo\u201d<\/strong> is one of the absolute masterpieces of European Renaissance painting. The panel depicts Christ after the flagellation\u2014the moment described in the Gospel of John with Pilate\u2019s words \u201cEcce Homo,\u201d<\/em> \u201cBehold the man\u201d\u2014with a psychological intensity and a rendering of suffering that are unmatched in the Italian pictorial tradition of the time. <\/p>\n

Antonello da Messina, a Sicilian painter active in the second half of the 15th century, was the figure who, more than any other, brought the technical revolution of Flemish oil painting to Italy, transforming it into a tool for exploring the human face and soul. No work illustrates this synthesis with the power of \u201cEcce Homo\u201d: Christ\u2019s gaze\u2014which looks directly at the viewer\u2014has spanned five centuries without losing any of its unsettling immediacy. <\/p>\n

The June 8 Program: Media, Institutions, and Citizenship<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The opening day is divided into three distinct segments, each aimed at a different audience.<\/p>\n

6:00 p.m. \u2014 Media-only preview<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The day begins with a preview for the press and television<\/strong>, a session set aside for filming and interviews with:<\/p>\n