The Bowes Museum Blog

Hello, my name is Bernadette Petti, and I am absolutely delighted to introduce myself as the new Assistant Curator of Fine Art here at The Bowes Museum.

Bernadette Petti

I was previously Curatorial Assistant at the Wallace Collection in London, and prior to this I was awarded a Leonardo da Vinci Scholarship to collaborate with The Bowes Museum as Research Assistant focusing on the collection of Spanish paintings.

I graduated from the Alma Mater Studiorum in Bologna and Newcastle University, and I am currently a PhD candidate at York University, writing a thesis on seventeenth-century Spanish art.

My areas of interests lie in early modern art history, with special reference to Christian iconography, religious imagery and spirituality in seventeenth-century Spain. Other major interests include art networks and cultural crosscurrents in early modern Europe.

I first became passionate about Spanish art during the preparation of the Murillo exhibition at the Wallace Collection. I helped the Curator of Old Master Pictures with the exhibition co-ordination and research, including a research trip to Seville and Madrid.

The Bowes Museum possesses an outstanding collection of paintings and one of the largest collections of Spanish and French paintings in Britain. Therefore, I really look forward to developing interesting research projects and exhibitions, promoting and encouraging the awareness and understanding of this exceptional art treasure.

My 3 year post is funded by the John Ellerman Foundation, and I’m looking forward to strengthening links with Auckland Castle and Durham University.

By Bernadette Petti, Assistant Curator of Fine Art