Alessandro Allori (1535-1607) – Laocoon
Carlo Saraceni (c.1580-1620) – Venus and Mars
From Raphael to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome – National Gallery of Canada
Shedding new light on the evolution of Renaissance Rome
May 29 to September 7, 2009
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This large international loan exhibition brings together over 150 exceptional paintings and drawings for the first time by celebrated artists such as Michelangelo, Titian, El Greco, Vasari, Barocci and Annibale Carracci. In addition, pieces by lesser known, but nonetheless superb artists are also included. They too played a significant role in the evolution of Renaissance Rome but have only recently been acknowledged and appreciated for their skill and relevance to art history during this period. Together they illustrate how papal patronage, which was driven by unrivalled ambition and the need to propagate their own belief system, gave rise to one of the richest periods in art history and the lasting legacy of some of the greatest artists in the world.
“An exhibition of this exceptional nature could not have been realized without the generosity and vision of institutional and individual lenders,” said NGC Director, Marc Mayer. “The vast majority of these works have been generously loaned to us by prestigious arts institutions and individual collectors throughout Europe and North America. Given their rarity, the Gallery is privileged to be the sole venue for this exhibition.”
Organized chronologically pope by pope, the exhibition commences with Julius II in 1503 and concludes with Clement VIII in 1606. Through their enlightened patronage they transformed Rome from a banal backwater to the most important and influential centre of the Renaissance and the unrivalled cultural capital of the western world for over three centuries. By the same token, it shows Rome as an unpredictable European centre, deeply affected by the dramatically shifting tides of this patronage and the tensions created between the temporal and spiritual worlds.
“Even more than Michelangelo, Raphael exemplifies a new type of artist that developed Rome in this period,” said NGC Deputy Director and exhibition curator, David Franklin. “However, another purpose of this exhibition is to present Raphael’s ideal and elegant style as a source of inspiration to his many talented followers, as well as to portray him as a liberated master who gave birth to a seemingly endless variety of artistic forms. By concluding with the works of Annibale Carracci, we intend to examine more broadly the transitions of style known as High Renaissance, Mannerism and the Early Baroque, and indeed to question the relevance of these terminologies.”
The NGC acknowledges with gratitude the generosity of the presenting sponsor, Sun Life Financial, for their support of From Raphael to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome. Sun Life, a long-standing partner of the National Gallery, has sponsored three major exhibitions since 2006.
“Thanks to the National Gallery of Canada, we now have a rare opportunity to see an extraordinary collection of timeless masterpieces by some of the greatest artists of the 16th-century,” said Sun Life Financial Chief Executive Officer, Donald A. Stewart. “As presenting sponsor of this exhibit and a long-standing supporter of the arts in Canada, Sun Life Financial is pleased to help the National Gallery provide Canadians of all ages a glimpse into the fascinating world and art of Papal Rome.”
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