In conjunction with In Caravaggio’s Light | Baroque Masterpieces from the Fondazione Roberto Longhi, the MFA introduces the Baroque + Bottle Book Club, a dynamic literary series that pairs contemporary fiction with the timeless themes of the Baroque. 

Presented in partnership with Book + Bottle, St. Pete’s beloved independent bookstore and wine bar, each gathering invites readers to dive into contemporary novels that echo the emotional intensity, moral tension, and timeless questions embedded in the Baroque movement. With expertly paired wines, lively, guided conversations, and exclusive in-gallery experiences, this series creates unexpected connections between the masterpieces on view and the pressing issues of today.  

While Caravaggio and his male contemporaries rose to fame, the contributions of women artists from the period were often overshadowed or erased. In the centuries before, during, and since the Baroque period, art collectors largely centered their acquisitions on male painters, leaving generations of women’s artistry overlooked. Today, scholars and curators are reexamining that history, amplifying the voices and legacies of women who pushed boundaries then and now. 

This session takes that conversation into literature with Lauren Groff’s celebrated novel Matrix, which reimagines the life of Marie de France, a historic visionary cast out from royal court and thrust into leadership of an impoverished abbey. Fierce, sensual, and richly imagined, Groff’s heroine becomes a force of creativity, faith, and defiance in a world that struggles to contain her power.  

What to Expect:

• 6:00–6:30 pm — Arrivals: grab a glass of wine and ease in with thought-starter prompts and casual conversation.
• 6:30–7:30 pm — Guided discussion led by Book + Bottle, exploring the book’s themes and connections to the Baroque.
• 7:30–8:00 pm — Gallery spotlight with MFA curators and educators: a focused look at a work from In Caravaggio’s Light to bring the conversation full circle.

Book + Bottle is a bottle shop, an independent bookstore, a coffee café, and a wine bar all rolled into one exquisite little package. They have the most passionate, friendly, and helpful team in town to help you choose a book or a bottle or to take care of you and your friends on your night off.

They’re an independent, woman-owned, values-driven, sustainably run, local-first business that believes little kindnesses can make our community—and the world—a better place.

About Lauren Groff’s Matrix