WASHINGTON—The National Gallery of Art will showcase art by 16th Century Italian artists—one of whom was a rival to Michelangelo—in a new exhibit called, “Recent Acquisitions of Italian Renaissance Prints: Ideas Made Flesh.”
Curator Jonathan Bober moderated the press preview event Tuesday.
“It’s a chance to savor Italian prints in this period as they are rarely seen, as they are not known even by many curators and many collectors,” he said.
The two-roomed “intimate” and “modest” space features 25 prints, including drawings, engravings and books, all of which were obtained by the museum in the past four years.
“The Columny of Apelles, after Luca Penni” by Giorgio Ghisi. Ramsen Shamon/MEDILL
Bober specified the value of the prints: “Before photography…prints were the means by which images were transmitted.”
Designs by Baccio Bandinelli, a Florentine sculptor, are also on display. Bandinelli was considered comparable to Michelangelo, “in terms of quality, in terms of productiveness, in terms of reputation,” according to Bober.
Also, a book by Robertus Valturius is one of two showcased. The book focuses on military techniques and features illustrations by artist Matteo de’ Pasti, a Venetian sculptor, medalist and architect born in 1420.
Andrew Robinson, senior curator of prints and drawings at the National Gallery of Art, said the museum has the first illustrated book by an Italian Renaissance artist, published in 1472 in Verona.
“Those designs [in the book]
were so amazing at the time that even Leonardo [da Vinci]
was under their influence,” Robinson said.
He said the museum focuses first on quality to determine how it shows the public “the best” in acquiring new works.
“Genius with the French Royal Coat-of-Arms” by Cherubino Alberti. Ramsen Shamon/MEDILL
“It’s a balance between on the one hand of wanting to show, and on the other hand, not buying something just because you don’t have it. In other words, we happily accept them as gifts,” Robinson said. “Some of these prints are very expensive, some of them are not.”
The Ideas Made Flesh exhibit runs from June 7 to October 4.