In the heart of Cagliari, here’s a must-see for lovers of Sardinian art, history and culture
Established in the second half of 1800’s, Cagliari Art Gallery today houses a rich and varied collection of late renaissance paintings and ethnographic finds regarding Sardinian jewelry, precious fabrics and embroidery, elegant decors, finely painted ceramics and old weapons.
A crossroads of peoples, customs and traditions since ancient times, Cagliari is one of the places that best embody the artistic and cultural fervor that has always characterized Sardinia. A liveliness that today still revives within prestigious art collections, such as the one housed at the National Art Gallery, which with its 1272 pieces (including paintings, but also a vast range of ethnographic finds, such as jewels, drapes, ceramics, coats of arms, furnishing accessories, even weapons), represents one of the richest museum collections on the island, as well as one of the oldest.
Cagliari Art Gallery, a prestigious collection which keeps evolving and growing
The original focal point of the pictorial collection – that today you can admire within the large spaces of the former Royal Arsenal, in a neoclassical building used in the Savoy era as a barracks and munition storage whose squared essential shapes interact symbolically and conceptually with the ancient Spanish walls, designed by Rocco Capellino and expanded by Giorgio and Jacopo Palearo in the 1500’s surrounding the evocative medieval district of Castello – dates back to 1866, the year of the approval of the Royal Decree concerning the suppression of religious orders and associations, after which many paintings, religious artifacts and beautiful artistic masterpieces became part of the public heritage.
In 1875 the collection expanded with the pictorial works recovered following the destruction of the Gothic-Romanesque church of S.Francesco in Stampace, such as large architecturally framed altarpieces, known as the Spanish term retabli, made by Cavaro brothers, considered the greatest representatives of the so-called Stampacina School, a painting style originated in Cagliari which takes its name from the historic district of Stampace, where the painters of this family kept their workshops between 1400’s and 1600’s.
But that’s not all: even in the following centuries the collection of Cagliari Art Gallery continued to expand, reflecting the cultural dynamism of the city and the evolution of local artistic sensitivity, thanks also to contributions from renowned collectors and benefactors, including works and artifacts of great prestige, therefore creating a collection that today represents a true and priceless treasure for the whole Sardinia (and Italy, of course).
A process which culminated at the beginning of 1900’s with the inclusion in the Art Gallery – which until 1992 was housed in the 1700’s Palazzo delle Seziate, a building with a peculiar pink color that represents a passage between Piazza dell’Arsenale and Piazza dell’Indipendenza, two of the most important squares – of an extraordinary ethnographic collection including splendid Sardinian jewels, fine fabrics, elegant furnishing accessories, finely decorated ceramics, even weapons and a precious bronze bird-shaped aquamanile dating back to 1100’s, very similar in features and artistic detail to the one housed in the prestigious Louvre Museum in Paris, exhibited on rotation for logistical reasons.
A (virtual) journey through the rich collections at Cagliari Art Gallery
The National Cagliari Art Gallery is not just a museum, but a place where art, history and natural beauty are inextricably intertwined, a synergy demonstrated first and foremost by the innovative layout of the collections, allowing the timeless charm of such artistic masterpieces to be enhanced along with the large spaces in which they are exhibited.
The structure of the museum is divided into three levels, embedding the ancient Spanish walls which have been incorporated into the building, thus establishing an interesting dialogue between different historical eras and artistic schools with the suggestive panorama to admire on the outside from the large glass windows, with a view that on clear days extends from the historic districts of the city to the charming Gulf of Cagliari.
The exhibition itinerary thus begins, perhaps unconventionally, from the top floor, where magnificent retabli arranged harmoniously in a radial pattern stand out, above all those made by Cavaro brothers in Stampacina style, an expression of indissoluble intertwining of devotion and art that characterized a good part of 1400’s and 1500’s production, in which the influences of the Flemish-Catalan tradition are very clear, as well as some elements of Renaissance and Mannerist derivation, styles that became increasingly evident in paintings produced later on.
Getting to the middle floor, it’s time to take a leap forward in time immersing in a rich collection of canvases dating back to 1600’s and 1700’s, largely coming from ecclesiastical collections dismembered following the Royal Decree of 1866, but also from private donations, many of which were imported or commissioned from artists located outside Sardinia, a proof of the certain and great artistic vitality of that era.
Finally, on the third and final level you’ll find heterogeneous works of art in terms of period of production and style, ranging from late 1500’s to 1800’s, including six panels painted by an anonymous Campanian painter (adding a pleasant and curious touch of charming mystery to the whole exhibition), a rich collection of portraits of local authorities dating back to 1800’s, as well as a vast collection of canvases by modern and contemporary Sardinian authors, depicting scenes of rural life, local traditions and customs in an extremely realistic way, in a successful attempt to capture on canvas the most authentic essence of the millenary island culture, protecting it forever from oblivion.
In addition to the pictorial production, Cagliari Art Gallery boasts a significant ethnographic collection which includes fabrics, jewelry, furniture, ceramics and weapons. This collection, due to the lack of space, is exhibited in rotation allowing visitors to continually discover new attractions and aspects of the rich Sardinian cultural tradition anytime. The splendid Sardinian jewels and intricate fabrics tell stories of craftsmanship and tradition, while the furniture and ceramics offer a wonderful glimpse into daily life and habits of the past.
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Once left the Art Gallery, arts, history and archaeology never cease to surround and amaze us here in Cagliari: the headquarters of the collection, Palazzo Arsenale, is in fact the beating heart of the so-called Cittadella dei Musei (Museums Citadel), a very important cultural centre in South Sardinia located on the Buoncammino hill, between Porta Cristina and Piazza Indipendenza, right next to the promenade of Buoncammino close to the Amphitheater, a sort of modern acropolis dominating the city and safeguarding its most important historical and artistic testimonies.
The Citadel, a project designed by Piero Gazzola and Libero Cecchini at the beginning of the 1970’s following the initiative of the University of Cagliari to expand the Archaeological Museum and the Art Gallery, previously housed inside the Palazzo delle Seziate, aims to integrate the architectural spaces of the former Royal Arsenal (used in the 1700’s as barracks by the Piedmontese, who were also responsible for the construction of Porta Arsenale, partly damaged by the bombings of WW2) with the surroundings, in a continuum that highlights the inextricable relation between “inside” and “outside” of the museum; a good testimony to this comes from the ancient walls incorporated into the modern buildings, made of concrete and stone too, materials that made possible the recovery of pre-existing structures and contributed to giving an idea of spontaneity to the entire architecture.
In addition to the Art Gallery and the Ethnographic Museum, the Citadel, officially opened to the public in 1993 and today the largest museum complex in Sardinia, hosts other relevant cultural institutions, including: the National Archaeological Museum, which houses a vast collection of Nuragic finds, ceramics, bronzes, Phoenician jewels, Byzantine coins, and other objects of everyday use, which offer a complete overview of the history of Sardinia from prehistoric era up to Roman and medieval ages; and the Museum of Siamese Art, excellence in the whole European panorama with its rich collection of ceramics, weapons, jewels and sculptures from Thailand and other south-east Asian countries, a really fascinating look at this distant and ancient culture.
Finally, no less evocative is the Collection of Anatomical Waxes by Clemente Susini, second in Italy only to Museo della Specola in Florence, which was its main inspiration. An exhibition that doesn’t only revolve around bodies, but that gives an important piece of the lively scientific and cultural scene of Cagliari at the beginning of 1800’s. The 23 wax works, unique in their kind for realism and richness of detail (representing a dead body, but very alive and pulsating at the same time), were in fact commissioned by Francesco Antonio Boi, then professor of Anatomy at the Royal University of Cagliari, to the illustrious wax modeling artist Clemente Susini, in order to allow advancement in medical science which in those years was experiencing a period of particular growth all over the world.
Don’t miss also the walk that connects Cittadella dei Musei to the top of Colle di Buoncammino, a real balcony that opens up spectacularly over the city, accessible to public again since December 2023 after important renovation works made to give this place of stunning scenic and historical beauty a modern look, primarily through the creation of spaces for social and commercial activities and more green areas. All this, anyway, without betraying the history of this hill, which for 120 years until 2014 housed the headquarters of the main city prison, a place that now can only be visited on particular occasions, such as seasonal open days organized by FAI. We’re speaking about an imposing and enduring structure with neoclassical references, built between 1855 and 1897 and expanded later in the 1930s, with a top accommodation capacity that ranged from five hundred up to one thousand prisoners.
So, all that’s left to do now is to discover this incredible place located in the heart of Cagliari: Cittadella dei Musei can be easily reached by walking along Via Santa Margherita, Via Tommaso Porcell and Via Fiume (starting from Piazza Yenne), otherwise arriving from the other side along Viale Regina Elena until the door of San Pancrazio – at this point, the entrance to the Citadel is on the right.
Cagliari Art Gallery can be visited everyday from 8.45 am to 7.45 pm, while tickets can be purchased at the Archaeological Museum’s ticket office or on the website museiitaliani.it.
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