Vatican Museums open Aleijadinho exhibition on 18 November

Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) in Vatican City will open the Aleijadinho exhibition on 18 November 2026. The display brings three Brazilian Baroque sculptures to the Rooms of the Borgia Tower until 13 February 2027. It connects a new international loan with the museum complex and the Bicentenary of Diplomatic Relations between Brazil and the Holy See.

Aleijadinho brings Brazilian Baroque to the Borgia Tower

The exhibition is titled Antonio Francisco Lisboa, known as Aleijadinho. The master of Brazilian Baroque. The Vatican Museums say it is curated by Alex Calheiros and will be open to the public from 18 November 2026. The venue is the Rooms of the Borgia Tower, within the Vatican Museums in Vatican City.

The display presents Saint Anne the Teacher, Saint Joachim and Saint Manuel. The three works date from the eighteenth century and are due to leave Brazil for the first time. The official exhibition details identify the works, venue and period.

Antonio Francisco Lisboa lived from 1738 to 1814 and is regarded by the organiser as one of the leading figures in Brazilian art. The Vatican presentation forms part of celebrations for the Bicentenary of Diplomatic Relations between Brazil and the Holy See. A Vatican News report also places the three sculptures in the Borgia Tower and records the 18 November opening date.

Three sculptures connect Brazil and the Vatican Museums

The sculptures represent the mature phase of Aleijadinho, with expressive figures and a combination of Baroque and Rococo elements. Saint Anne the Teacher shows the saint teaching reading to her daughter Mary. Saint Joachim depicts the grandfather of Jesus in old age with a staff, while Saint Manuel presents a less familiar iconography linked to the signs of his martyrdom.

The works retain links to the communities that care for them in Brazil. Saint Anne the Teacher belongs to the Chapel of Saint Anne in Chapada, in the Archdiocese of Mariana. Saint Joachim belongs to the parish of Nossa Senhora da Conceicao in Raposos, and Saint Manuel belongs to Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso in Caete, both in the Archdiocese of Belo Horizonte.

The exhibition also includes photographs by Marcel Gautherot, supplied by the Instituto Moreira Salles. The photographs record Aleijadinho’s work in wood and soapstone, together with its relationship to the architecture and landscape of Minas Gerais. An audiovisual record of the feast of Saint Anne links the display to religious practices preserved by the communities represented.

For the Vatican Museums, the exhibition places Brazilian sacred art inside the Borgia Tower rather than presenting it as a separate city event. The location makes the works part of a visit to the museum complex, while the loans preserve their direct connection with chapels and parishes in Brazil.

Visiting Vatican Museums: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Aleijadinho exhibition starts on 18 November 2026 in the Rooms of the Borgia Tower and runs until 13 February 2027.
• The three sculptures are presented within the Vatican Museums, so the exhibition forms part of the museum visit rather than a display at a separate Brazilian venue.
• The Vatican Museums are on Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome, beside Vatican City; the official museum address identifies the site for visitors arriving in the Rome area.

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Frequently asked questions about Vatican Museums

When does the Aleijadinho exhibition take place at Vatican Museums?

The exhibition begins on 18 November 2026 and continues until 13 February 2027 in the Rooms of the Borgia Tower.

What is the Aleijadinho exhibition at Vatican Museums?

It is a display of three eighteenth-century sculptures by Antonio Francisco Lisboa, known as Aleijadinho, alongside photographs and audiovisual material.

Where are Vatican Museums and how do you get there?

The museums are on Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome, beside Vatican City and within the Rome area.