The Consul General of Italy in Mumbai, Walter Ferrara, inaugurated the exhibition “L’invenzione della luce — Caravaggio, Maddalena in estasi” at the prestigious Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum. It was a historic moment, the first time a work by Caravaggio was exhibited in Mumbai.
The inauguration was attended by distinguished guests, including the Minister of Culture Ashish Shelar, Minister of Marketing and Protocol Jaykumar Rawal, and Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani.
The exhibition, organized by the Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai and the Italian Cultural Institute of Mumbai, in collaboration with the Cultural Association MetaMorfosi, was curated by Andrea Anastasio, Director of the Cultural Institute of New Delhi, and Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Trustee and Museum Director.
From October 16 to November 2, the Indian public admired Caravaggio’s masterpiece. In these weeks, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and The Times of India, among other prominent newspapers, extensively covered the initiative, and the public reception was enthusiastic. Thousands came to see the Magdalene and, thanks to guided tours and workshops organized by the museum, visitors had the opportunity to discover this work.
Rediscovered in 2014 in a private collection, “La Maddalena in estasi” was exhibited in Mongolia and China before arriving in India. The painting’s long journey abroad was actively promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in an important cultural diplomacy effort.
The central theme of the exhibition is light, a symbol of Caravaggio’s disruptive genius but also an element of spirituality that unites Italy and India. “It is a light that does not simply illuminate, but reveals: divine ecstasy and human fragility,” said the Consul General of Italy, Walter Ferrara. Reflecting on the significance of the exhibition for Mumbai, he added, “Bringing this extraordinary event to Mumbai means recognizing the Indian metropolis not only as a vibrant economic hub but as a cultural beacon capable of embracing and amplifying the human drama immortalized by that chiaroscuro.”
