For the first time ever an exhibition devoted to still life painting from 17th century Naples

A journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th century will be held at the Galerie Canesso in Paris, France, from September 26 to October 28 2007. The exhibition will bring together a unique collection of paintings, many of which have never been exhibited before and will be on loan from Italian Museums and private collections, such as the Banco di Napoli collection and the Capodimonte Museum. Around twenty other major still-life works discovered and sold by the Galerie Canesso over the last twenty years will complete the exhibition.

Recognised internationally as one of the most important dealers in Italian art from the 15^th to 18^th centuries, Maurizio Canesso have been a highly significant presence at various events in recent years. For example, he unveiled a major discovery at the Fine Art Fair in New York in 2001 - Saint Jean the Baptist in the Wilderness by Tanzio da Varallo. He repeated the feat in 2004 with the impressive exhibition of ten paintings by Luca Cambiaso (including three rediscovered "nocturnes") at the TEFAF Maastricht art fair, which preceded the major exhibition devoted to the artist in the autumn of 2006 at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin and Genoa in 2007.

 L'Oeil Gourmand - A Journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th century : An exceptional non-selling exhibition organised by the Galerie Canesso

Still life paintings were very popular among collectors in the 17^th century. By recreating a themed collection of still lives, Maurizio Canesso hopes to inspire today's collectors with the same enthusiasm. The exhibition is sponsored by the Italian Embassy in Paris and the Soprintendenza Speciale per il Polo Museale Napoletano, Capodimonte Museum in Naples.

The rise of Neapolitan still life painting

The still life genre flourished under the influence of the Neapolitan school during the 17^th century. Its sheer variety reflected Naples's image as a "heaven on earth", where it was possible to grow anything and everything. Initially conceived as decorative art, still life in Naples soon earned its credentials and became a highly sought-after genre, holding an important place in contemporary collections. This growth in market demand led to a blossoming of talent. The rise of artists such as Paolo Porpora and Luca Forte alongside the Recco and Ruoppolo families meant that collectors were spoilt for choice.

One of the aims of this exhibition is to give art lovers a better understanding of still life painting where colour and richness, abundance and elegance compete for attention. The characteristics expressed by this harvest from land and sea are arranged in such a way as the viewer might discover birds (as in the two paintings by Paolo Porpora, from Dr. Vittorio Di Capua's collection), landscapes (the two works by Luca Forte from the Cei Collection in Florence provide excellent examples) or domestic kitchen scenes (G. B. Recco de Catania formerly in the Mendola collection).

In Naples aristocrats were particularly fond of Nature, which became through their collections, a reflection of taste and cultural refinement.

 An exceptional exhibition supported by Naples's leading collections

This exhibition is organised in close collaboration with Professor Nicola Spinosa of the Capodimonte Museum in Naples and the Ministero per i Beni e le Attivit Culturali, which has kindly loaned two paintings, the famous Morning Glories and Guelder Roses by Andrea Belvedere and a work by Guiseppe Ruoppolo from the Duca di Martina collection. The ministry also authorised the loan of still life works from the Banco di Napoli collection, which are conserved at the Villa Pignatelli Museum in Naples.

The exhibition will show works by the following artists, all of whom give their own unique interpretation of the Neapolitan Still Life: Giovan Battista Recco (1615-1660) and Giuseppe Recco (1634-1695), Luca Forte, Paolo Porpora (1617-1670/80), Giovan Battista Ruoppolo (1629-1693), Giuseppe Ruoppolo (? - 1710), and Giovanni Quinsa (Naples, mid-17^th century). The Galerie Canesso will also display remarkable works by artists with whom the public is less familiar such as Maestro S.B and Paolo Cattamara, who were active in the mid-17^th century.

Works on display

Examples of work on display will include Paulo Porpora's Forest Floor, depicting provence roses, seashells, tortoises and butterflies set against a landscape background. The painting was recently discovered by Maurizio Canesso and exemplifies a style that lies mid-way between a quasi-scientific representation of reptiles, insects, amphibians and flowers and a genuine pictorial narrative. They are also known for their elaborate lighting effects.

Several works depicting fish by Giuseppe Recco, one of the seminal artists of 17^th-century Neapolitan still life painting, have passed through Galerie Canesso over the years. The works selected for this exhibition include a pair of paintings, Still Life with Scorpion Fish, Sea Bass and Squid (Oil on canvas 34 x 36cm, private collection) and Still Life with Squid and Oysters (oil on canvas. 34 x 46 cm, private collection) are surprisingly modern, refined works. These extraordinary
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