Barnaba from Modena to Alba. The Madonna Bergui: a precious gift for the city

This unprecedented exhibition was born thanks to the extraordinary donation to the Municipality by Dr. Giovanna Bergui of the 14th-century panel painting "Madonna Nursing the Child" (1380) by the artist Barnaba Agocchiari, known as Barnaba da Modena. The work thus officially becomes part of the civic collections, enriching the city's artistic heritage with a work of exceptional historical and cultural value.

On Saturday, October 17, at 10:30 a.m., the scientific and exhibition project will be presented at Palazzo Banca d'Alba, followed by a guided tour of the "Teodoro Bubbio" Council Room in the Town Hall.

Barnaba da Modena, Madonna delle Grazie (Madonna Bergui): a key work in the history of Piedmontese art

The Bergui Madonna has been at the center of international art-historical literature for over a century. Already included in 1909 among the works subject to the first state conservation campaigns, as one of the very few private Piedmontese paintings of exceptional importance, the panel received further recognition in 1938, when Vittorio Viale presented it at the historic exhibition "Gothic and Renaissance in Piedmont"in Turin.

Owned by the Bergui De Giacomi family for over a century, the work most likely comes from the church of San Domenico in Alba. The painting stands alongside another famous testament to Barnaba's presence in the city, the Madonna and Child from 1377, now housed in the church of San Giovanni, confirming the close connection between the Modena-born master and the Alba area.

Barnaba da Modena: A Bridge Between Liguria and Europe

A leading figure in 14th-century painting in northwestern Italy, Barnaba degli Agucchiari, originally from Modena and documented between 1361 and 1386, was able to blend the realism of Giotto and Emilian influences with the tradition of Byzantine icons, which were particularly popular in Genoa, where he developed a flourishing artistic activity.

His Madonnas, characterized by a strong expressive intensity and a restrained sweetness, enjoyed widespread success, reaching beyond the borders of Liguria to Piedmont, Lombardy, Tuscany, and even the Kingdom of Castile in Spain. The importance of his work is still demonstrated today by the presence of his works in the collections of major international museums.

Alba, a cultural crossroads of the Middle Ages

The exhibition aims to highlight Alba's role as a geopolitical and artistic crossroads during the 14th century. The city's location, along the routes connecting the port of Savona, Lombardy, and France, favored commercial, political, and cultural exchanges.

This is the context of the complex period experienced by the area under the influence of the Marquises of Monferrato, the Paleologi dynasty, and the Del Carretto family, a family closely linked to the history of the Alba diocese, whose bishops were an expression of the Ligurian environment between 1369 and 1419.

Barnaba's artistic legacy contributed to profoundly marking local production, influencing artists such as Pietro Gallo from Alba, active in Genoa at the end of the century, and leaving significant traces in the painting of the Monregalese and Cebano areas.

The donation of the Bergui Madonna and the accompanying exhibition project therefore represent a precious opportunity to rediscover an important chapter in Alba's artistic history and to enhance the area's cultural heritage.