Works by Raphael and Bernini go on display for Mongolian audiences

ULAANBAATAR — Works by two leading figures of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque have gone on display in Mongolia for the first time, giving local audiences an opportunity to see rare masterpieces of classical art up close.

The Chinggis Khaan National Museum opened the special exhibition “Winds of the Great Sea on the Steppe: Raphael and Bernini” on September 30 in cooperation with the Galleria Borghese in Rome. The exhibition features Raphael Santi’s “Portrait of a Man” and Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s “Neptune in Bronze.”

According to Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the two works were brought to Mongolia from the Galleria Borghese. The exhibition also includes materials on the diagnosis and research of the artworks, along with panels explaining the history of Renaissance and Baroque art. It opened to the public on October 1.

Raphael Santi was one of the leading artists of the High Renaissance in Italy. His portrait conveys a sense of inner concentration and calm, while Bernini’s bronze work is marked by movement and energy. The exhibition gives visitors an opportunity to compare artworks from two distinct periods in a single setting.

S. Chuluun, director of the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, described the exhibition as a tangible result of professional cooperation between Mongolian and Italian museums and an expression of cultural ties between the two countries. He also noted that the historical links between Mongolia and Italy date back to the era of the Silk Road and continue today through cooperation between museums.

The exhibition is being held as relations between Mongolia and Italy expand to the level of a strategic partnership. Italy’s Foreign Ministry has linked the event to the strengthening of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Earlier this year, works by Mongolia’s renowned sculptor Undur Gegeen Zanabazar were displayed at the Galleria Borghese, marking an important earlier step in museum cooperation between the two countries.

According to the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, the special exhibition will run until November 1, 2026. During the exhibition, the museum plans to hold the daily art education programme “World Classics in My Frame.”

The exhibition not only gives Mongolian audiences the chance to view historic works of European classical art at home, but also demonstrates the expanding scope of cooperation between Mongolian museums and internationally renowned institutions.