OTTAWA.- Immerse yourself in 16th-century Rome’s fascinating cultural and political history when you read the exhibition catalogue of From Raphael to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome. Organized by the National Gallery of Canada and presented by Sun Life Financial, the exhibition is on view until September 7, 2009.

Written by a team of international experts, this catalogue highlights considerable new research and discoveries in Italian Renaissance art history that are being published for the first time. It reveals a period that was as event-filled and dramatic as any in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. The popes who reigned from 1503 to 1605, were as respected, feared, and, even as corrupt as other European family dynasties and favored the talent of celebrated masters such as Raphael, Michelangelo, Salviati, and Vasari. Through their enlightened patronage, not only did they further the belief system of the Roman Catholic Church but they also reshaped the cultural and political landscape of Rome transforming it into the cultural capital of Europe for over three centuries.

This beautifully-illustrated, 482-page book includes 378 images and is co-authored by David Franklin, NGC Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Ingrid D. Rowland, author of The Culture of the High Renaissance (Cambridge), Sebastian Schütze, Professor of Art History and Bader Chair in Southern Baroque Art, Department of Art at Queen’s University, and Carlo Gasparri, Professor of Archeology at the University of Naples. Contributions were also made by more than 40 international scholars. The foreword is by Marc Mayer, Director of the NGC.

Rich in content, its four essays illustrate the themes of the exhibition: From Raphael to Carracci: An introduction, by David Franklin; Art and art patronage in 16th-century papal Rome: patterns and intentions, by Sebastian Schütze; Rome restored: villas, collections, and gardens of antiquities in 16th-century Rome, by Carlo Gasparri; and Sixteenth-century Rome: the birth of a cultural capital, by Ingrid D. Rowland. Available in hard cover only, the From Raphael to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome catalogue is on sale in English and French at a cost of $75.00 (CDN) at the National Gallery of Canada Bookstore or online at www.shopngc.ca.