The city's main art gallery has a powerful collection of works by Bolognese artists from the 14th century onwards, including a number of important canvases by the late-16th-century Carraccis (brothers Annibale and Agostino and their cousin Ludovico). Among the founding fathers of Italian baroque art, the Carraccis were deeply influenced by the Counter-Reformation sweeping through Italy in the latter half of the 16th century. Much of their work is religious, and their imagery is often highly charged and emotional.
Works to look out for include Madonna Bargellini by Ludovico, the Comunione di San Girolamo (Communion of St Jerome) by Agostino and the Madonna di San Ludovico by Annibale. Elsewhere in the gallery you'll find several works by Giotto, as well as Raphael's Estasi di Santa Cecilia (Ecstasy of St Cecilia). El Greco and Titian are also represented, but by comparatively little-known works.
