In Rome, an exhibition explores Gian Lorenzo Bernini's relationship to his most powerful patron, Pope Urban VIII. Sculptor and architect, Bernini was pivotal in Baroque Rome, as Urban VIII was essential to him.

The show begins with Bernini’s youthful development, though notably missing any significant reference to his first sponsor, Cardinal Scipione Borghese. It's clear that the artist was not purely a Barberini discovery but learned from his father and teacher, Pietro Bernini, who taught him to 'paint with the chisel.'

Despite this, the exhibition fails to convince fully. Another sculpture of Saint Sebastian, taken from a church in France, is proposed as Gian Lorenzo’s work but seems more fitting for a master like Pierre Puget.

Bernini's numerous sculpted portraits of the Barberini family changed the art world, with his busts of women being solemn and weighed down by propriety. However, there are exceptions, such as the fantastic 1636–37 bust of Costanza Bonarelli, which is truly living.

The exhibition ends with some examples of Bernini’s painting, which was excellent, along the lines of Diego Velázquez. One leaves with a renewed awareness of Bernini's brilliance and an unpleasant hint of his egotism.