PANAJI: A 400-year-old painting by Italian master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio has gone on public view in Goa for the first time, marking a landmark moment for both the state and India’s cultural calendar. Magdalene in Ecstasy is being exhibited at the 10th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival, placing one of Western art history’s most influential works within a contemporary, multidisciplinary setting.
The exhibition is presented under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in India, with the Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai, the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, New Delhi, and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Mumbai, in collaboration with Serendipity Arts and with the support of MetaMorfosi Cultural Association. The painting will be on view until 21 December 2025 at the Directorate of Accounts building in Panjim, a heritage venue that forms part of the festival’s city-wide programme.
Painted during Caravaggio’s final years while he was in flight from Rome following a fatal duel, Magdalene in Ecstasy depicts Mary Magdalene caught between spiritual ecstasy and human vulnerability. The work is notable for its restraint, with the artist abandoning conventional iconography and retaining only a skull and a cross, a stark approach characteristic of his late period.
The painting resurfaced in the early 21st century after centuries in obscurity and was authenticated by leading scholars, including Mina Gregori. It also bears markings linked to papal provenance.
The exhibition was inaugurated on 14 December 2025 by Consul General of Italy in Mumbai Walter Ferrara, Director of the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, New Delhi Andrea Anastasio, Director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Mumbai Francesca Amendola, and Director of Serendipity Arts Smriti Rajgarhia, in the presence of Honorary Consul of Italy in Goa Shrinivas Dempo, and Panaji Mayor Rohit Monserrate.
“This exhibition is more than a cultural milestone,” said Consul General Walter Ferrara. “It honours the shared history, art and spirit of two distinct worlds and brings them into dialogue, uniting the genius of Caravaggio with the ancient faith of Goa.”
Within the Serendipity Arts Festival, the painting is presented alongside site-specific installations by contemporary artists, creating a dialogue between seventeenth-century painting and present-day artistic practice.
Co-Founder and Patron of SAF, Shefali Munjal, said the presentation reflected the festival’s long-term vision. “Bringing Magdalene in Ecstasy to Goa underscores our commitment to fostering dialogue across geographies, time periods, and artistic practices,” she said.
SAF Director Rajgarhia described the exhibition as a significant moment for the festival. “The arrival of this work in Goa creates a bridge between centuries of artistic imagination and today’s cultural landscape, while making world art accessible to diverse audiences,” she said.
Curated by the Director of the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, New Delhi, Andrea Anastasio, the initiative is coordinated by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Mumbai in collaboration with Serendipity Arts. Anastasio noted that 2025 marks the first time a Caravaggio has been exhibited in India. “Presenting this painting at a major contemporary art festival highlights Caravaggio as a precursor of modernity, whose exploration of light and human emotion continues to resonate,” he said.
Director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Mumbai Francesca Amendola said the work’s modernity remains striking. “Placed within a contemporary festival context, the painting’s vitality is sharpened rather than diminished, and Goa’s cultural landscape makes the presentation especially resonant,” she said.
President of MetaMorfosi Cultural Association Pietro Folena said the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to encounter one of the greatest artists of all time while bringing together the artistic cultures of Italy and India through dialogue and peace.
Often regarded as a forerunner of modern painting, Caravaggio transformed European art through dramatic chiaroscuro and an unflinching realism. Painted in the final year of his turbulent life, Magdalene in Ecstasy stands as one of his last and most introspective works, now presented within the evolving contemporary arts landscape of Goa.
